In a recent interview with IGN at SXSW 2021, Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann confirmed that the upcoming HBO The Last of Us series will be an adaptation of the first game. While it will follow the events of the first game, Druckmann said that there will be some major differences between the original game and the upcoming show.
Speaking to IGN, Druckmann siad: “Things sometimes stay pretty close. It’s funny to see my dialogue there from the games in HBO scripts. And sometimes they deviate greatly to much better effect because we are dealing with a different medium.”
Specifically, one of the differences between the game and the series is that the series will have a bigger focus on character drama. This is unlike the game which featured a lot of action to teach game mechanics; as a TV series, a lot of these sections are not exactly necessary.
In case you’re unfamiliar, HBO’s The Last of Us is an upcoming TV series based on the hit PlayStation title of the same name by Naughty Dog. The series will star Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey were as Joel and Ellie. Meanwhile, Craig Mazin (of HBO’s Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann (director of the two Last of Us games) will serve as the series’ showrunners.
Right now, there’s no word yet on a release date for the series.