HBO have announced that Neil Druckmann, the creator of The Last of Us, will be an executive producer and writer for the TV series adaption.
Deadline reports that HBO have assigned several people to the project already as executive producers. Two of these include Craig Mazin (creator of Chernobyl), and the aforementioned Druckmann; both of whom will also be writing.
Other executive producers include Carolyn Strauss (Game of Thrones executive producer), along with Evan Wells (president of Naughty Dog), Asad Qizilbash, and Carter Swan (head and senior producer of IP Expansion of PlayStation Productions respectively).
The show will be co-produced between Sony Pictures Television (in association with PlayStation Productions), Word Games, and Naughty Dog. At this time, the number of commissioned episodes have not been revealed.
Francesca Orsi, EVP HBO Programming, had high praise for Mazin, Druckmann, and Strauss.
Craig and Neil are visionaries in a league of their own. With them at the helm alongside the incomparable Carolyn Strauss, this series is sure to resonate with both die-hard fans of The Last of Us games and newcomers to this genre-defining saga. We’re delighted to partner with Naughty Dog, Word Games, Sony and PlayStation to adapt this epic, powerfully immersive story.
“We’re thrilled to be working with HBO and this fantastic creative team to bring The Last of Us series to life,” said Qizlibash and President of Sony Pictures Television Studios Jeff Frost in a joint statement.
“PlayStation’s innovative storytelling and ingenuity is a natural complement to SPT’s creative focus. Our collaboration is a great example of our ‘One Sony’ philosophy at work. We look forward to developing even more iconic game IP in the future.”
The One Sony concept had previously been cited when the company announced they were expanding their anime-based operations. This would be through subsidiaries to produce tie-in products for franchises they own and licence.
The Last of Us launched in 2013 on PlayStation 3, focusing on a world racked by an outbreak of mutated Cordyceps fungus. This created mushroom “zombies,” devastating civilization.
Joel has become a smuggler 20 years after the outbreak, and soon finds himself smuggling teenager Ellie to a group called the Fireflies; living outside of the heavily policed quarantine zones. As it becomes clear that Ellie may be the key to stopping the outbreak, the two endure a dangerous journey.
Image: The Last of Us Remastered via PlayStation
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