During today’s Summer Game Fest, HBO has released a new image for the upcoming The Last of Us, the highly-anticipated TV adaptation of the hit PlayStation game franchise. The image was presented by Neil Druckmann, co-president of the original game studio Naughty Dog and co-creator, executive producer, writer, and director for HBO’s series.
The image takes Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) to an abandoned museum, an area inspired by the first The Last of Us game. In the game, Joel and Ellie must cross an abandoned museum on their way to the West. The new image features the duo crawling through the dark and empty rooms of the museum, hoping they don’t cross paths with an Infected. Ellie is also looking angry for some reason, which means the duo still didn’t become inseparable at this point in the show. That makes sense, as the museum is a location from the beginning of the first The Last of Us game, when Joel and Ellie still haven’t bonded for long.
The Last of Us game occurs in a post-apocalyptic world where society crumbled after a pandemic turned people into vicious zombie-like creatures. Twenty years after the zombie outbreak, a young girl named Ellie might hold the cure for the disease, as she seems unaffected by the virus. So, it’s up to Joel to escort the teenager through a ravaged America, so they can reach a research center that may unlock the mysteries of Ellie's unique immunity system.
HBO’s series also stars Storm Reid as Riley Abel, another survivor who was the focus of the first game’s DLC, The Last of Us: Left Behind. That means the show will go beyond the original game story, expanding on the universe created by Naughty Dog. The series’ cast also includes Parks and Recreation's Nick Offerman, along with previously announced stars Anna Torv, Merle Dandrige, Nico Parker, Gabriel Luna, Jeffrey Pierce, and Murray Bartlett. As announced in Summer Game Fest, Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker, who voiced Ellie and Joel in the games, have also joined the series in undisclosed roles.
The first episode of The Last of Us will be directed by Kantemir Balagov. Original game creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin are listed as creators for The Last of Us and will also serve as executive producers.
If the apocalypse doesn’t happen, The Last of Us should premiere at some point in 2023.