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THE LAST OF US (HBO TV) - spoilers allowed for aired episodes (game spoilers masked)


Edmilson

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One of the best videogames of all time is getting an HBO adaptation.

 

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'The Last of Us' Series in the Works at HBO From 'Chernobyl' Creator Craig Mazin, Neil Druckmann (Exclusive)

 

Mazin and Druckmann will write and executive produce the adaptation of the Sony PlayStation video game.

 

Craig Mazin, the creator of the acclaimed limited series Chernobyl, is reteaming with HBO to adapt The Last of Us, the massive Sony PlayStation video game franchise.

In a rare development in the world of video game adaptations, the writer and creative director of the game, Neil Druckmann, is also involved and will work with Mazin to pen and executive produce what is intended to be a series.

 

Carolyn Strauss will also executive produce along with Evan Wells, the president of Naughty Dog, the Santa Monica-based developer of the game. The project is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television in association with PlayStation Productions. It will be the first television series from PlayStation Productions.

 

Launched in 2013, Sony and Naughty Dog's The Last of Us garnered critical praise for its engrossing tale of the postapocalypse, centering on the relationship between Joel, a smuggler in this new world, and Ellie, a teenager who may be key to a cure for the deadly pandemic.

 

Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle the14-year-old girl out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse across the U.S. and depend on each other for survival. The HBO series will cover the events of the original game, which was written by Druckmann, with the possibility of additional content based on the forthcoming game sequel, The Last of Us Part II, which will release on May 29, 2020.

 

Mazin, who is said to be an avid player of the game, stated, "Neil Druckmann is without question the finest storyteller working in the video game medium, and The Last of Us is his magnum opus. Getting a chance to adapt this breathtaking work of art has been a dream of mine for years, and I'm so honored to do it in partnership with Neil."

 

"From the first time I sat down to talk with Craig I was equally blown away by his approach to narrative and his love and deep understanding of The Last of Us," said Druckmann in a statement. "With Chernobyl, Craig and HBO created a tense, harrowing, emotional masterpiece. I couldn't think of better partners to bring the story of The Last of Us to life as a television show."

 

The Last of Us won numerous "game of the year" awards and went on to sell more than 17 million copies across both its original release on the PlayStation 3 and a remastered version on PlayStation 4.

 

"This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for us to partner with Craig, Neil, Carolyn and the teams at Sony, Naughty Dog and PlayStation to bring the virtual world of this acclaimed game to life," stated HBO programming president Casey Bloys.

 

"This is the first of many shows we intend to develop with our friends at PlayStation Productions," said Chris Parnell, co-president of Sony Pictures Television Studios. The Last of Us is a brilliant achievement in storytelling and character development, and we are lucky to have the opportunity to work with this team to adapt it."

 

Druckmann is a longtime vet of Naughty Dog, starting as a programming intern in 2004. In 2007, he was given the role of game designer on Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, the first installment in the action adventure series. In 2013, he created The Last of Us, based on a concept he developed as a student at Carnegie Mellon University.

 

Mazin's Chernobyl tackled a bleak and complex true-life event and became a must-see show for HBO. The show won an Emmy for outstanding limited series and landed one for Mazin for outstanding writing. Mazin also won a PGA award and a WGA award.

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/last-us-series-works-at-hbo-chernobyl-creator-1282707

 

 

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They have a high bar to match for sure, but with Druckmann being involved and after seeing what Mazin achieved with Chernobyl, they might just be able to.

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1 hour ago, Þekþiþm said:

The performances and atmosphere of the game were so good, I'm not sure if any adaptation could match it.

 

If they copy the game's storyline, which they could and should do, it'd basically be the zombie apocalypse twist on the classic LotR "all they do is walk forward" template.

 

No game has captured the sense of journey more effectively than TLoU.

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8 hours ago, Edmilson said:

I imagine if Gustavo Santaolalla and Hildur are going to collaborate on the score. It'll redefine the whole concept of "dark and depressing".

 

JWFan: “Not enough melody, 2/10. 1 point for each composer.”

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Actually, Uncharted could be a decent, fun show, with every episode dealing with Nathan in one location trying to find some ancient relic. It'll be like a live-action, big budget version of a 90s/early 2000s adventure cartoon.

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I would argue that Sonic isn't that popular and his movie is still a success... But Sonic has always been present, on his awful new games, the countless TV shows and, of course, lots and lots of memes on social media, so it's not really the same situaton.

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2 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

I’m surprised the movie is still happening after all these years. Uncharted headlined by Drake ended before they could get this out. Should be a nice trainwreck to watch. 

The only way they can save it now is to have the singer Drake play Nathan Drake.

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8 hours ago, Edmilson said:

I would argue that Sonic isn't that popular and his movie is still a success... But Sonic has always been present, on his awful new games, the countless TV shows and, of course, lots and lots of memes on social media, so it's not really the same situaton.

Sonic is probably one of the most recognizable video game characters ever. The Uncharted games were really successful, but this movie should have happened 10 years ago when the franchise was at its peak. 

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  • 2 months later...

What primarily made Chernobyl great was the writing of Craig Mazin: all the years of research he did, the structure he came up with, the composite characters, the way he was able to explain the complex situation that happened, the framing device of the suicide, etc.  It WAS also directed amazingly by Johan Renck no question about it, but the success of a Last of Us adaptation, or almost any TV project really, is more about having the right writer than the right director IMO.

 

Hopefully Mazin knocks it out of the park again (Chernobyl was one of the best things I saw on television in the entirety of the 2010s), and hopefully Renck does too

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On 3/8/2020 at 12:33 PM, Laserschwert said:

Alright, with PlayStation Productions in place, get that gorram Uncharted series with Nathan Fillion going. I don't care about the stupid movie.

Just finished The Lost Legacy and would welcome ANY new Uncharted!

 

Don't care about The Last of Us.

I'm sure it's good in its own way, but I cannot see it having any sense of fun whatsoever...

 

On 3/8/2020 at 5:36 PM, Edmilson said:

Actually, Uncharted could be a decent, fun show, with every episode dealing with Nathan in one location trying to find some ancient relic. It'll be like a live-action, big budget version of a 90s/early 2000s adventure cartoon.

Where do I sign up? :D

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On 6/6/2020 at 8:22 PM, Jay said:

It WAS also directed amazingly by Johan Renck no question about it, but the success of a Last of Us adaptation, or almost any TV project really, is more about having the right writer than the right director IMO.

 

Then the show is lucky: Johan Renck will direct the pilot:

 

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Chernobyl’s Johan Renck to Direct Pilot of HBO’s The Last of Us Series


Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Johan Renck has officially set his next collaboration with Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin for HBO’s forthcoming The Last of Us series. Speaking with Discussing Film, Renck has confirmed that he has already signed on as an executive producer on the highly-anticipated live-action series adaptation and is also attached to helm the pilot episode.


“I’m an executive producer on it and attached to it,” He revealed. “It’s an ongoing TV series. So that’s not something that I will be able to take on to that extent, but I’m part of that series and I will be directing at least the pilot. Then we’ll see how it goes on further. I mean, both Craig and I, we are working with each other again and we will work with each other on other things because we like each other.”


When asked about the differences of adapting pre-existing characters from historical characters, he answered, “You have for instance The Last of Us with Craig, in which you have a video game character who’s very much top of mind with anybody who’s ever played that game. More than that, they know exactly what he looks like, how he talks, how he acts, and so on and so forth.”


Renck continued, “So with the The Last of Us, this is something that we’re discussing. We’re having weekly calls, Craig and I and also Neil [Druckmann] who created the game, about various approaches and how to deal with that. How to deal with the fact that a video game character is way further than a character from a book. But also it’s more different to deal with than a real person.”

 

https://www.comingsoon.net/tv/news/1137553-johan-renck-to-direct-pilot-of-last-of-us-series

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I’m excited about this because the game is legitimately fantastic. I was very late to it but It loved you to every ounce of hype. 
 

Based on the leaks I’m a little worried about the sequel but will reserve judgement until I get to experience it first hand (or if reviews are unanimous). 
 

Either way, the show should be great!

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26 minutes ago, Edmilson said:

 

Then the show is lucky: Johan Renck will direct the pilot:

 

I know, I was responding to Quint's post, where he told us that

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I haven't really played any computer games since the 90s (except the odd retro point-and-click game from Telltale), but I've heard about THE LAST OF US. Very interesting premise that I would love see adapted to the big screen. That they've managed to secure Santaolalla for the film as well is great news.

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I haven't seen it and correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't there a fairly recent Arnie flick which sort of borrowed the same premise? I meant to watch it.

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1 hour ago, Thor said:

I haven't really played any computer games since the 90s (except the odd retro point-and-click game from Telltale), but I've heard about THE LAST OF US. Very interesting premise that I would love see adapted to the big screen. That they've managed to secure Santaolalla for the film as well is great news.

If you want an idea of the tone and style of the game, the 15 minute opening sequence is superb.

 

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  • 7 months later...

Beanpole director, Kantemir Balagov, is now directing the pilot for this:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/last-of-us-hbo-series-finds-its-director-with-beanpole-filmmaker-exclusive

 

Damn. This could actually be good!

 

 

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33 minutes ago, bruce marshall said:

I know nothing about this- I'm an adult, I dont play video games- but CHERNOBYL was fantastic!

So, im intrigued.

 

If I remember rightly you're a pensioner, so in a lot of ways this makes sense. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

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