Some video games translate to TV excellently, like The Witcher on Netflix. HBO’s version of The Last of Us looks just as promising. Today, Naughty Dog and HBO Max released an official teaser trailer for the TV adaptation of the popular game. While we have seen small peeks at the show, this is the first good look we’ve seen of not only the two main protagonists but also their travels across the U.S. and the monsters they face.
Pedro Pascal will play Joel, and Bella Ramsey will play Ellie, so it looks a little like a Game of Thrones reunion. Ramsey played Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, and of course, Pedro Pascal was the magnetic and tragic Oberyn Martell. From the trailer alone, the two powerful actors seem to be made for these parts.
Alone and Forsaken by Hank Williams sets the tone of the trailer as we catch glimpses of the apocalyptic ruins of a city and the military response to the outbreak. We see the heroes first hiding in the tunnels from a searchlight and then hiding from something much worse. The creepiest look at the Clickers yet showed their jerky movements and terrible clicks and screeches while the survivors hid behind a display case. The haunting tune was the perfect backdrop for the gradual increase in intensity as the survivors travel across expanses of the empty landscape into cities full of fear and chaos. This trailer looks excellent, and you can check it out below.
The Last of Us video game was released in 2013 but has recently been remade for PlayStation 5. While some fans weren’t happy about the cost of the game, the love the developers have for the series shines through. We’re hoping it will come through for the adaptation as well, as there have been a few failed attempts in the past.
The story behind both the game and the show is post-apocalyptic and action-adventure. A mutated strand of a Cordyceps fungus has begun to spread across America, turning humans into monstrous creatures. As the main protagonist, Joel attempts to flee with his family, but his daughter is shot by a soldier. After twenty years, most of America is in ruins. The only civilizations left are quarantine zones run by the military, so many survivors are nomadic. The story really kicks off when Joel attempts to smuggle a teenage girl named Ellie out of quarantine as she appears to be immune to the fungus.
This storyline seems to line up with the trailer shown above, so we’re excited to see how fans react to it. The HBO TV adaptation won’t be released until sometime in 2023, however, so we have plenty of time to wonder and wait. In the meantime, you can play the game for the first or fiftieth time.
