HBO Max drops first teaser for The Last of Us adaptation - Ars Technica

The Last of Us game from Naughty Dog debuted in 2013 to pretty much universal acclaim for its narrative, gameplay, visuals, and sound design.

Co-showrunner Craig Mazin called it the "Lawrence of Arabia of video game narratives." Naughty Dog co-President Neil Druckmann, who wrote and directed the original game, co-wrote the first season of the TV series with Mazin.

The game is set in 2013 in the 20-year aftermath of a deadly outbreak of mutant fungus that turns humans into monstrous zombie-like creatures (the Infected, or Clickers).

Unlike the recent film adaptation of another Naughty Dog game, Uncharted—which told a new story within the game world—Mazin said that any changes for The Last of Us TV series are "designed to fill things out and expand, not to undo, but to enhance." He also said that some content cut from the game will be included in the series and that some of the dialogue will be drawn directly from the game.

Pedro Pascal was cast as Joel, while Bella Ramsey—so memorable as the fierce Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones—plays Ellie.

Gabriel Luna plays Joel's younger brother, Tommy, a former soldier, while Merle Dandridge reprises her role in the game as Marlene, head of the Fireflies.

Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett play survivalists, while Storm Reid plays an orphaned girl named Riley Abel, a character who appeared in a DLC packet for first game (The Last of Us: Left Behind).

Other actors from the game also appear in the series: Jeffrey Pierce (Tommy in the game) plays a rebel in the quarantine zone named Perry, while Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson (who played Joel and Ellie, respectively, in the game) have been cast in as-yet-undisclosed roles.