HBO’s upcoming The Last of Us TV series will be making one rather major change when compared to the original video game. Ever since work on The Last of Us began, those associated with the project have made clear that the TV show wouldn’t be adapting the video game in a one-to-one manner. And while what we have heard of the series so far makes it sound like HBO will still very much cling to the core plot of the game, that won’t be true in all regards.
Based on new set photos that have emerged recently from The Last of Us, it looks like those in charge of the TV show have opted to change the timeline in which this story occurs. In the original video game, Outbreak Day, which is the day in which the Cordyceps virus first begins to spread, takes place in 2013. Instead, based on new set photos that some have now found online, the TV series of The Last of Us will instead see Outbreak Day taking place in 2003. The reason for this alteration isn’t really clear, nor does it matter much in the grand scheme of things. However, some aspects of The Last of Us could be quite different as a result.
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One notable difference with The Last of Us TV show compared to the video game series is that it might mean that real-world things that were found in the games may no longer appear in the show. For instance, in The Last of Us Part II, Joel sings a Pearl Jam song titled Future Days, which ends up serving as a sort of refrain throughout the game. However, Future Days wasn’t actually written by Pearl Jam until 2013, which means that the song wouldn’t even exist in the television world of The Last of Us. Again, this isn’t a massive deal in the grand scheme of things, but the timeline differences could lead to some notable alterations to the story in this way.
For now, the biggest question that continues to surround The Last of Us involves its launch date. Sadly, HBO and PlayStation Studios haven’t committed to a release date of any sort for the series just yet, primarily because it’s still in the process of filming. As this year continues onward, though, there’s a good chance that we’ll get a trailer and launch window for The Last of Us soon enough.
[H/T DualShockers]
