With filming underway as of early July and an amazing cast, the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us is shaping up to be must-see television. The show has already tapped some amazing talent both behind and in front of the camera. The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal will be taking on the role of Joel, while Game Of Thrones actress Bella Ramsey will be starring as Ellie. The show will also have the creative input of Craig Mazin, who brought a true-life disaster and its aftermath to the screen with Chernobyl.
With no official release date in sight though, fans will have some time to kill before they get to see their favorite characters and their harrowing journey on screen. However, there are a few excellent shows and movies with a similar end-of-the-world feeling to help tide fans over until The Last of Us premieres.
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First up is a film that game director Neil Druckmann cites as an inspiration for The Last of Us. Released as a novel in 2006 and later adapted for the screen in 2009, The Road tells the story of a man (Viggo Mortensen) and his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) traversing a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
Like The Last of Us, The Road showcases the relationship between a parent and child (regardless if it’s biological or not) and the ever-shifting morality that comes with the end of the world.
Similar to the themes of infection that run through The Last of Us, 12 Monkeys is a series involving a deadly pandemic that is set to wipe out the human race unless something or someone stops it. Based on the 1995 film starring Bruce Willis, 12 Monkeys starts in 2043 when James Cole (Aaron Stanford) is hired by a group of scientists to go back to the year 2015 and prevent the virus from spreading in the first place.
Traveling through time with the brilliant virologist Dr. Cassie Railly (Amanda Schull) the two must stop the organization known as the "Army of the 12 Monkeys" from wreaking havoc on the world. Part science-fiction, mystery, and love story, 12 Monkeys is an exciting ride from beginning to end (and streaming now on Hulu).
This 2006 film directed by Alfonso Cuarón was nominated for an Oscar for its writing, with a story about human perseverance in the midst of chaos. The year is 2027, and humanity has not been able to produce children for 18 years, leading to war and economic issues as people brace for total extinction. Theo (Clive Owen) is hired by his ex-wife Julian (Julianne Moore) to provide a safe route for Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey), a refugee, to reach the coast of England for sanctuary.
The tension is cranked up when viewers learn that Kee is pregnant, making her the only pregnant person on Earth. With this revelation, Theo sees Kee as the possibility of humans surviving and will do anything to make sure she and her unborn child make it out alive. It’s also listed as another direct inspiration for The Last of Us.
For a more comedic take on life after the apocalypse, fans of The Last of Us should try this 2009 film. With a star-studded cast, Zombieland tells the story of Colombus (Jessie Eisenberg), a young man trying to reach Ohio to see if his parents have been affected by a zombie outbreak.
He hitches a ride with Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) and runs into a pair of sisters, Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abagail Breslin) who are trying to reach an amusement park that is rumored to be safe. Zombieland combines the best parts of a zombie action film with a road trip comedy, with iconic moments and one-liners to spare.
Three years after an event called “The Sudden Departure”, where 2% of the world’s population (around 140 million people) disappeared without a trace, the town of Mapleton, New York, and its residents are still picking up the pieces. Religion has become nonexistent and cults have emerged instead, breaking society even further.
The series centers on police chief Kevin Garvey (Justin Theroux), grieving and complex widow Nora Durst (Carrie Coon), and Nora’s brother, Reverend Matt Jamison (Doctor Who’s Christopher Eccelston) as their lives intersect. While the show is a more contemporary take on apocalypse, it does an amazing job of examining grief in its many forms and exploring what people do when they’re faced with a life-changing event.
While Logan is technically a superhero film, it feels more like a character study rather than a good guy conquering evil. The 2017 film is the last in the Wolverine trilogy and focuses on an aging Logan (Hugh Jackman.) Now an alcoholic and chauffeur, Logan takes care of a sick Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) in a world where no mutants have been born in over 20 years.
Logan is then tasked with accompanying Laura (with a star performance from Dafne Keen), a young girl, to a refuge called Eden. Through fights, chases, and a few sweet moments, Logan and Laura create a bond greater than blood. The film has an apocalyptic feel but remains grounded, and packs a dramatic punch to its viewers.
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