The Last of Us Series Release Date Teased by HBO Boss

Ever the open book, HBO boss Casey Bloys is a master of dropping little updates with big implications for viewers, this time about the highly-anticipated television adaptation of The Last of Us that's headed for the service. Speaking in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter about the premium cable network/streamer's Emmy success this year (they nabbed 155 nominations across 24 shows), Bloys was asked about the future of several projects in the works at HBO including the PlayStation favorite. When asked about its premiere window, Bloys replied: "It's closer to early 2023." A release date next year was already well in the cards but that we might get to see it in the early part of the year will have many fans excited.

Speaking further about their next year of programming, Bloys added, "By that time, we'll have gone through Sex Lives of College Girls season two, White Lotus 2, The Idol, Last of Us, Succession, Julia, Hacks, Barry and Righteous Gemstones. It's a pretty packed lineup again. We could be talking about any number of those shows!" Bloys also had an answer for how things have been for HBO ever since the merger of Warner Bros. Discovery took place, noting specifically how CEO David Zaslav has been as a new boss.

"David has been nothing but supportive of what we're doing creatively. He appreciates me and the team and makes it clear he values what we do. It's been nothing but support. This happened when AT&T took over, a lot of business as usual decisions were recast in a, 'Well, AT&T must be making them do this' fashion. Whether it was Demimonde or a show cancellation or renewal, we're running a programming service that has daily needs and decisions that need to get made. There's no scenario where David is looking over my shoulder and weighing in on if we should renew or cancel something. Everyday decisions have been getting recast as reflective of what the new regime is doing and that's not the case here."

The Last of Us TV series sees The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal star as Joel alongside Game of Thrones standout Bella Ramsey as Ellie. Gabriel Luna is set to appear as Tommy, Joel's brother, with the cast also including Merle Dandridge as Marlene, Anna Torv as Tess, Nick Offerman as Bill, Nico Parker as Sarah, and Storm Reid as Riley Abel. The series will see the fan-favorite leads from the games, Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, also appear in the series, playing all-new characters.