Of all the live action adaptations of popular video games, one of the most anticipated is HBO’s take on The Last of Us. Written by Neil Druckmann and created by Craig Mazin, the show has garnered a lot of talent, and as such, a lot of excitement. According to Druckmann, despite the critical acclaim of both games, HBO’s adaptation will “deviate greatly from the story” in certain moments.
In an SXSW talk (as transcribed by IGN), Neil Druckmann discussed the team’s approach to this adaptation, saying that “We talked at length [that season 1 of the show is going to be [the first game],” adding that “the philosophical underpinnings of the story” was the most important element to get right.
Druckmann continued, “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.”
Though the first season will cover the events of the original game, Druckmann noted that the adaptation moves away “from hardcore action” to focus “more on the drama of the character”. Furthermore, “Some of [Druckmann’s] favorite episodes so far have deviated greatly from the story, and I can’t wait for people to see them.”
The story of The Last of Us is nearly universally loved, and so it will be interesting to see not only new actors play the iconic roles of Ellie and Joel, but also to see what changes Druckmann is referring to, and just how much they will deviate from the story of the first game. Either way, there is no denying that there are many eyes set upon HBO’s The Last of Us. Hopefully it is just as well received as the game itself.
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KitGuru says: What do you think of the adaptation? Are you looking forward to it? Do you want to see any changes/deviations or not? Let us know down below.