Before his packs of fungus-infected carnivorous berserkers burst onto the screen, the HBO series The last of us it could easily be confused with a number of other zombie apocalyptic shows about survivors fighting for their lives. Because it holds up so well as a series, it may not be obvious to viewers unfamiliar with The last of us‘ Origins How Joel, Ellie, and the Cordyceps Pandemic story began as parts of a blockbuster video game.
Between being so faithful to the game’s story and adding new depth to its characters, it’s no wonder longtime fans have been quick to call the HBO show one of the best video game adaptations of all time. But how The last of us As co-creator Neil Druckmann and series showrunner Craig Mazin see it, one of the main reasons their new project works so well is because at its core, though perhaps not too deep, a TV show it was always hiding within the game and waiting to be brought to life.
“There was a TV show lurking inside the video game trying to get out.”
When I met with Mazin and Druckmann recently before The last of us‘ this weekend, the duo were as effusive in their praise for each other as they were excited that the public finally got to see their long-awaited baby boy.
Mazin, who was already a fan of The last of us When he first got the call to adapt it for television, he said that while he was definitely interested in leaning into some of the smaller details that he’s always loved about the series, he was immediately struck by how easily the game played. it lent itself to translation through the media.
“We give you a beginning and an end every week,” Mazin said. And one of the beautiful things about The last of us It’s that Neil naturally, even though he was creating it for the game, naturally created a story that felt like it had beginnings and endings.”
Image: HBO
Similar to the game, The last of us follows the couple as they travel across the country to a group of people hoping to create a cure for the fungal pandemic. While the show highlights how far they have to travel, often on foot and sometimes through brutal weather, it also features a handful of leap forwards to make things feel like they’re moving. As they began to break down the show’s story and map out the shape of the first season, Mazin said he increasingly felt like there had always been “a TV show lurking inside that video game trying to get out” because of the episodic nature of the missions of the game. match. the built-in time jumps made it feel.
Although Druckmann agreed with Mazin’s assessment that the game’s missions felt almost like serialized installments of a story, he also described the game’s structure as intentionally less even, “a little messier and a little looser” in comparison. . Druckmann said that for the adaptation, it was important to replace some of that narrative imbalance with mystery meant to leave you with questions.
“Then as a viewer, you can fill in the blanks like what happened between these areas,” Druckmann said, referring to back-to-back episodes that take place months apart. “I think that’s part of the fun of cinematic storytelling, and we get to do more of that with the show – some things are further subdivided than they were in the games, and then you have those jumps that leave you wondering ‘wait? , What happened between that part and that part?’”
Image: HBO
There is no “correct” way to play The last of us as you guide Joel and Ellie through clicker-infested ruined cities that come charging where they hear loud noises. Carrying firearms is one option that risks making the game difficult. but the original The last of us it also features the use of stealth and cunning as viable ways to survive, and it was important to Mazin, a self-proclaimed “stealth guy,” that the show’s action reflect a mix of different gameplay styles while working to help viewers understand better Joel.
“One of the cool things about stealth in real life is that it’s hard,” Mazin said. “Difficult, especially if you are a 55-year-old man who has lived through 20 difficult years. Our Joel? His knees ache; his back hurts. He runs with a jerk. Peter [Pascal] He invested a lot of pain in Joel’s body that he has to fight through.”
“One of the cool things about stealth in real life is that it’s hard.”
Mazin and Druckmann said that instead of highlighting stealth as a mere mechanic, they wanted the show to emphasize stealth as a means of survival because that’s the kind of mindset Joel, Ellie, and pretty much everyone else has. The last of uswith whom the characters live. Along with the overall structure of the show, Druckmann and Mazin believe that the HBO shows really convey how desperately people are fighting to stay alive. The last of us has succeeded And they chalked it up to his team’s passion for both this specific project and the game that started it all.
“We had people travel all over the world; I was leaving other shows so I could be a part of this one because they were big fans of the game,” Druckmann said. “We essentially had an army of people who wanted to do the right thing in the game. I think that’s extremely rare and something I don’t take for granted.”
