The Last of Us HBO Series: When Does It Take Place?

There’s a TV series adaptation of The Last of Us in the works at HBO, and it’s got some impressive creative minds behind it. Craig Mazin who’s known for his work on HBO’s Chernobyl series will join forces with Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog, the creators of The Last of Us and the upcoming sequel, to write and produce the series. The game itself covers plenty of events which transpired during the journeys of the protagonists, Joel and Ellie, so there’s no shortage of established moments the TV series can adapt alongside more original looks at the world of The Last of Us.

So, with all those events laid out to be covered, when will the show take place? According to the first details revealed by The Hollywood Reporter, it’ll cover the events of the original game which released back in 2013. The game introduces players to Joel and the apocalyptic outbreak of the game’s infectious fungal outbreak that eventually brings down civilizations, but all that happens 20 years before players even get to meet Ellie. Whether it starts with the fungal outbreak or tells the story later in a flashback, you can expect this moment to be a big part of the show.

After eventually meeting up with Ellie during a smuggling job, Joel and his new responsibility embark on a journey that spans several seasons in a search for a rebel group known as the Fireflies. The story ends in a fittingly dramatic way that’s best experienced in the game itself if you haven’t already, but it’s an excellent cliffhanger and an emotional ending after sticking with the players for so long.

It also sets up the second game, The Last of Us Part II, which is currently in the works and is due to be released in a few months. It’s been reported that this TV series could potentially cover additional content included in the upcoming sequel, though it hasn’t been confirmed yet whether that’ll happen or not. The game will be out before the TV series which means people won’t have to worry about the show spoiling anything from the second game, so by the time people are familiar with the sequel, they can already plot out moments they’d like to see in the show themselves.

More details on HBO’s The Last of Us haven’t been revealed yet, but expect it to at least cover the events of the first game whenever it’s released.