Writer Promises ‘The Last of Us’ Will Not be Like ‘Game of Thrones’
HBO is planning a big year in 2023, with several exciting new projects on the horizon. One of the most buzzworthy is the upcoming TV series The Last of Us, a show based on the popular video game of the same name. With stars like Pedro Pascal attached to play featured roles and a critically-acclaimed creative team at the helm, the series promises to be can’t-miss viewing. The production team has a lot of confidence in the show. In a recent interview, creator Nick Druckmann opened up about expectations for The Last of Us, revealing why he thinks fans will be very happy with what awaits them in the series.
What did Neil Druckmann say about adapting ‘The Last of Us’ for the small screen?
It is always a gamble when adapting existing content into a television show or a movie. Fans have set expectations for the plot, as well as what the characters might look like and how they will behave in the context of the larger story. When the series inevitably deviates from that source material, fans make their voices heard — such as in the case of the controversial final season of Game of Thrones, which disappointed many viewers.
However, Druckmann has a lot of confidence that fans won’t be disappointed with The Last of Us, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “We have no plans to tell any stories beyond adapting the games. We won’t run into the same issue as ‘Game of Thrones’ since Part II doesn’t end on a cliffhanger.”
The creative team includes several people who worked on the video game
Druckmann isn’t the only member of the show’s creative team who also worked on the game — Gustavo Santaolalla, who worked on the game franchise composed the show’s music, while the video game development company Naughty Dog is one of the production partners. The cast of The Last of Us is equally impressive, with The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal playing Joel and Bella Ramsey from Game of Thrones playing Ellie, a teenager smuggled by Joel across an apocalyptic quarantine zone.
“Ellie felt like a character I already had in me,” Ramsey told The Hollywood Reporter of her role. “Like the skins that you wear in a video game? She was one of my skins already.”
Fans are excited for ‘The Last of Us’
As the very first HBO series based on a video game, there are a lot of expectations riding on The Last of Us, for viewers as well as the cast and crew. For years, fans have devotedly played the video game series that the show is based on, and it will be up to the production team to ensure that their loyalty is rewarded. Fortunately, while the bar is high, advance reviews for The Last of Us are good.
The show debuted on HBO on January 15. Many fans are already praising how well Pascal seems to have nailed the character of Joel. Before the premiere, some took to Twitter to express how excited they are for The Last of Us, with one Twitter user writing “Nothing can prepare us for how much Pedro Pascal is going to blow us all away as Joel Miller.” With a dedicated cast and crew and rich source material to draw from, The Last of Us seems poised to become one of the biggest new shows of 2023.
