The world of TV and cinema, it seems, has gone and caught itself a nasty case of video game fever.
The primary symptom of such a serious ailment? Why an insatiable desire to capitalize on the success of gaming’s most successful franchises, of course. With Hollywood having recently delivered hits such as Detective Pikachu and Sonic The Hedgehog (with more absolutely on the way) and Netflix following suit with Castlevania and an upcoming Resident Evil show, studios are increasingly finding themselves eager to get a piece of the lucrative pie. That list has grown once more today to include US network HBO, itself having confirmed just hours ago a series based on Sony’s acclaimed The Last of Us.
Developed by Naughty Dog exclusively for PlayStation, The Last of Us takes place in an inhospitable post-apocalyptic world where humans are on the brink of total extinction. Joel, having lost his own family to the infection that wiped out billions several years prior, finds himself the unwitting guardian of Ellie, an orphaned girl who exhibits a strong will to survive in an otherwise hopeless world.
Exciting times ahead, then, though besides confirming that creative director for the game, Neil Druckmann, and Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin are teaming up to bring the show to life, little else is known of the ambitious project. Fans over on social media, however, are already going crazy over the reveal and you can see but a sample of early reactions down below.
The Last of Us TV show by HBO with @Neil_Druckmann heading it up with @clmazin. I’ve had constant chills for the past 5 minutes.
— Braedon (@BraedonUG) March 5, 2020
https://twitter.com/memeforhire/status/1235636071792181248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1235636071792181248&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fgaming%2F2020%2F03%2F05%2Flast-of-us-tv-series-social-media-reactions-announcement%2F
Looking forward to the episode of HBO's The Last of Us where Joel moves a ladder around for 45 minutes
— Kirk Hamilton (@kirkhamilton) March 5, 2020
https://twitter.com/InspiredByLM10/status/1235639548987748352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1235639548987748352&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fgaming%2F2020%2F03%2F05%2Flast-of-us-tv-series-social-media-reactions-announcement%2F
I wonder what percent of The Last of Us pivoting from ill-conceived movie to potentially rad HBO series may have to do with the blockbuster success of The Witcher on Netflix
Yes, yes, book adaptation, I know, but it has a gaming fanbase, and I bet it was at least a consideration
— Paul Tassi (@PaulTassi) March 5, 2020
The last thing I expected to read today is that The Last Of Us is getting a TV show.
In @Neil_Druckmann we trust 🙏 pic.twitter.com/zD1oLgM1hA
— MrMattyPlays (@G27Status) March 5, 2020
Some first responders, however, are holding onto their skepticism until further details are revealed.
The Last of Us is a great video game and I can’t think of anything I want to do less than watch it recreated in Prestige TV format. Sorry if this offends.
— Alex Navarro (@alex_navarro) March 5, 2020
the last of us needs to be prestige tv not because it'll be good but so i can yell more at people on how prestige tv is a collection of already canonized templates and visual polish that tricks you into thinking it's good
— Colin Spacetwinks (@spacetwinks) March 5, 2020
Fans can no doubt expect to hear a whole lot more about HBO’s latest venture in the near future, so stay tuned on that front. As for its native medium, The Last of Us: Part II will finally get its long-awaited release on PlayStation 4 this summer, May 29th.
