We tell you what to expect from the much-anticipated TV adaptation of 'The Last Of Us' games, eagerly awaited by many gamers and fans.

On November 20, PlayStation gamers were delighted by news that one of Sony's most beloved exclusives, 'The Last Of Us', would receive a screen adaptation – and a big one at that. For our part, we've tried to gather for you everything currently known about the production and release of the adaptation.

Briefly About the 'The Last Of Us' Games

First, let's take a little time to understand what the source material is – or simply remind ourselves of the world and story of the games, because according to the creators, what awaits us is an adaptation of the story, not a reinterpretation of the setting. We can't avoid some spoilers, but we'll try not to mention major plot turns.

Setting

So, the world has been shaken by a global catastrophe that led to the infection of most of the population by a certain type of cordyceps fungus, turning its host into an aggressive zombie-like mutant. Survivors try to learn how to exist under the new circumstances and devise a way to combat the pandemic. The focus of the first game is an elderly and skilled smuggler, Joel, who suffered a terrible loss at the start of the pandemic, and a girl named Ellie, who for unknown reasons has developed immunity to the infection. The game is their journey from point A to point B, during which they learn to survive side by side and rethink life and the events around them.

What Makes the First Game Interesting?

Firstly, cordyceps is a real parasitic fungus that infects ants (and some other insects) and forces them to perform specific actions that aid in the further spread of the fungus – ants break away from their colonies, climb to the top of the nearest tree, and latch onto the veins of a leaf to ensure a wide dispersal of airborne spores. The fact that this phenomenon exists in nature is a bit... frightening, don't you think?

Secondly, the characters in this story are not perfect. About some (especially the fan-favorite Joel), you can't even say they are good people. And this was the main highlight of the plot – we don't have to agree with all the heroes' decisions, but we empathize with them on a subconscious level and want them to succeed.

The Second Game: 'The Last Of Us Part II'

The sequel was released in May of this year and divided players into two camps – some enthusiastically embraced the new ideas and themes that the creators allowed themselves in the further development of the world and characters, particularly praising the excellent writing and directing work of Neil Druckmann; others were extremely dissatisfied with the boring and monotonous gameplay, the sequel's departure from the spirit of the original, and the presence of the agenda that has struck Hollywood (the more minority representatives, practically not affecting the plot – the better). We won't take one of the opposing sides, and regardless of what anyone says, the game was remarkably successful and broke sales records among PlayStation exclusives.

About the Film

Interesting fact – the game had already tried to get a film adaptation, and it almost succeeded. In 2014, it was announced that Screen Gems was planning to serve as the distributor for the film 'The Last Of Us', with the game's author Neil Druckmann as the screenwriter and none other than Sam Raimi as producer. But in 2016, after a read-through of the second version of the script, the planned film went into so-called 'development hell', and Raimi shared that this happened because Sony couldn't come to an agreement with Druckmann.

And Finally, About the Series

So what awaits us in the future? HBO secured Druckmann's support and gave the green light to the series production. In addition to Druckmann, screenwriter/producer Craig Mazin and director Johan Renck joined the team, who have already proven themselves as great professionals while working on the mini-series 'Chernobyl'.

Release Date and Cast

Unfortunately, we still don't know the exact timeline for production or the leading actors. Mazin clarified that discussions went on for months and that the creators were mainly waiting for the release of the second game. And now the game is out, so after the recent official confirmation from HBO, there is hope that more detailed news will follow very soon.

There is also relatively bad news (at least for one of the editors at Posle Titrov) – Troy Baker, the actor who voiced Joel, doesn't want to participate in the series. However, he has already suggested Josh Brolin for the role. Fans themselves desperately want to see Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in the series. We'll see what comes of it.

UPD: So, we can finally clarify the information about the actors who will play the lead roles.

No surprises from HBO, who have taken actors they previously worked with on 'Game of Thrones'. Joel will be played by Pedro Pascal, who recently became memorable to audiences thanks to 'The Mandalorian', and Ellie will be played by Bella Ramsey, whom you may remember from the later seasons of GoT, where she appeared as the warlike young Lady Mormont.

Characters

In addition to Joel and Ellie, Neil Druckmann confirmed the following female characters who will appear in the adaptation:

• Riley, the heroine of the 'Left Behind' DLC, who developed quite interesting relationships with Ellie;

• Tess, a smuggler and Joel's partner;

• Marlene, the leader of the terrorist organization 'Fireflies', one of the catalysts of the story in the first game;

• Maria, Joel's brother's wife;

• ****, a certain top-secret character with four letters in the name – fans speculate it will be Abby, who appeared in the second game.

Latest News

According to the latest data received on January 16, Johan Renck, unfortunately, left the project, giving his place to our very own director Kantemir Balagov, who has recently gained fame thanks to the award-winning 'Beanpole'.

So we have an extra reason to keep a close eye on this project. Go, Balagov!

Well. Can't wait to see it.