Last of Us Creator Says HBO Show Will Focus on First Game for Season 1 But Will “Deviate Greatly”

HBO’s The Last of Us show will be focusing on the first game for Season 1, but the creator says it will “deviate greatly.” Neil Druckman was the director of the Sony blockbuster game and Craig Mazin is the showrunner on the TV series. They spoke to IGN about what’s coming in the first salvo of episodes. It’s been clear that the team at HBO wouldn’t want to stray too far from Ellie and Joel’s story. But, Druckman is now saying that things will deviate a bit from The Last of Us. However, close listening fans will notice where the two overlap in surprising ways. Both Mazin and Druckman mentioned dialogue being present in the show that comes directly from the game. The HBO effort might borrow some story elements, but this journey will still find ways to feel new. The Last of Us is a franchise where the world-building was very well done, so nailing that first salvo will go a long way to making everything flow naturally.

“We talked at length [that season 1 of the show is going to be [the first game],” Druckmann explained, noting that for him and Mazin, “the philosophical underpinnings of the story” were the essential thing to get right about the adaptation. “As far as the superficial things, like should [a character] wear the same plaid shirt or the same red shirt? They might or might not appear in it, that’s way less important to us than getting the core of who these people are and the core of their journey.”

“Things sometimes stay pretty close. It’s funny to see my dialogue there from the games in HBO scripts. And sometimes they deviate greatly to much better effect because we are dealing with a different medium,” he said.

President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, Jim Ryan, said earlier this year, “The Last of Us, a gritty emotional journey, will be coming to HBO. This is just the beginning of the expansion of our storytelling into new media and even wider audiences. Sony is a creative entertainment company, and entertainment has never been more important.”

HBO’s The Last of Us doesn’t have a release date yet, stay tuned for more information.

What part of The Last of Us would you like to see adapted? Let us know down in the comments!