“It Is Useful to Have Fans Working on the Show” – The Last of Us Creators Share Their Secrets Behind Making the Perfect Adaptation

Naughty Dog’s 2013 Magnum opus, The Last of Us, was a cultural phenomenon. It showed what games can offer in terms of storytelling and cinematic glory. The community that the franchise spawned, cherished the games with all their hearts and had given it a ‘semi-religious’ status, according to Craig Mazin. 

That is why it wasn’t surprising that the weight of expectation was very high with the television adaptation. The protective fans were concerned, since the first day of the announcement. But in the end, the showrunners prevailed and offered an adaptation that not only was faithful to the source but also enhanced the original story with some deviations. 

In a recent interview conducted by Sony, the creator of the origins game, Niel Druckmann, along with the co-producer of the show Craig Mazin, lead actors Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey shared the behind the scene process of creating the adaptation and making sure that it lives up to the heights of the game. 

Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin share how they made the Last of Us adaptation

In the online interview, Neil and Craig shared that the crew of the Last of Us consisted of a lot of loyal fans of the series. They were “watching like hawks” to make sure not to miss any minute detail, and make the sets of the show as real to the source as possible. Having a team who admired the game this much, helped the directors bring their vision into reality much more fluently.

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“The Crew just loved the material so much. They poured so much of themselves into it and they studied the game of like every tiny detail. Like the Fedra posters were exactly like they were in the game.” shared Neil Druckmann. “It is like very useful to have to have Fans Working on the Show, as they are watching like hawks” added Craig Mazin.

The conversation continued as the team delved into some of the aspects that made the show this great. According to Craig Mazin, one of the biggest challenges was to cast talent for the show. Especially the iconic duo of Joel and Ellie. “Part of our work in casting is to find somebody who doesn’t have to try hard to embody a character,” said Mazin. 

After a long search, Bella and Pedro were chosen as the characters. Craig shared that it was the best decision for them, as their performance was so good on the screen that even some of the most loyal and protective fans came to him and said, “Joel and Ellie are perfect”.

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