With its adaptation of The Last of Us, HBO is banking on the goodwill that Naughty Dog’s zombie-adventure franchise has banked via two video games, an growth, and a handful of comics. An adaptation of the sequence was at all times going to attract consideration, however placing Pedro Pascal within the lead function as Joel and hiring Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin on as showrunner introduced the upcoming sequence a higher air of status than it already would’ve gotten simply by being an HBO drama and primarily based on one in all PlayStation’s premier franchises.

Like the unique 2013 sport, The Last of Us present is a post-apocalyptic street journey that includes Joel and Bella Ramsey’s Ellie as they cross the nation to a hopeful protected zone the place Ellie can contribute to a remedy for a virus that’s turned a lot of the world into monstrous zombies. But the sequence isn’t simply going to be a straight-up adaptation; it plans on bringing in new characters—performed by actors like Graham Greene and Ellie’s in-game actor Ashley Johnson—and enhancing already established ones, like Nick Offerman’s Bill. And it additionally plans on weaving in some Ellie’s previous that was beforehand explored within the Left Behind DLC to the primary sport, which prominently options her buddy Riley (Storm Reid).

The cheesiness of utilizing a darkish cowl of “Take on Me” apart, the latest trailer for The Last of Us appears lots gripping and enthralling in a means that HBO sequence usually look of their trailers. What’ll be extra attention-grabbing to see is what, if something, it finally provides to Naughty Dog’s franchise past appeasing the cinematic desires of the video games’ director, Neil Druckmann.

Also starring Anna Torv, Gabriel Luna, and Nico Parker, The Last of Us hits HBO on January 15.

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