The Last of Us: The Franchise’s Journey From PlayStation To HBO

Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) at the beginning of the year declared its intention to turn Intellectual Properties (IP) into live-action experiences. The gaming studio is working to leave a mark on other sectors of the entertainment industry as well. In fact, the studio has created games with such incredible storylines that it would be unfair not to turn them into movies and series. The Last of Us franchise is first in line to receive this treatment.

A few days back, Jim Ryan, President of Sony Interactive Entertainment, talked about the gaming giant’s future projects. He mentioned the studio’s plans to turn Uncharted into a movie and the Last of Us franchise into an amazing TV series. And supposedly “It’s just the beginning”.

Since the declaration of his plans in January, there have been some interesting developments on that front. The Last of Us show is reportedly already under production with HBO.

The Last of Us- from PlayStation to HBO adaptation

“We are also very thrilled to bring some of the best PlayStation IP to new media like film and television. You’ll see this year the upcoming Tom Holland film ‘Uncharted’ based on our iconic adventure games and ‘The Last of Us’ a gritty emotional journey will be coming to HBO,” informed Ryan.

In an interview with IGN during the SXSW Gaming Awards 2021, executive producer Neil Druckmann shared some valuable information. Fans can expect a direct reference from the game. The series will comprise dialogues straight from the game to give fans of the game a bit of a cheer, so that the gamers can relate to it. However, it will soon “deviate greatly” to keep things original.

“Things sometimes stay pretty close. It’s funny to see my dialogue there from the games in HBO scripts. And sometimes they deviate greatly to much better effect because we are dealing with a different medium.”

Druckmann explained fans can expect Season 1 to follow the same storyline as The Last of Us Part 1. He noted that with the progress of the series, the storyline will start deviating.

Laying the unique foundation of the series comes to play from Season 2, and they want to get the adaptation right. As for the superficial elements like character costumes, the crew is still unsure. It is “less important” to them compared to leaving an impression in the characters’ journey.

Other than that, the series will also have less action and more drama. HBO is pushing the crew away from focusing on hardcore action and violence. They are looking forward to imprinting the viewers’ minds with a unique story.

Needless to say, the HBO adaptation of the Last of Us game franchise is going to be one of Sony’s unique projects. And if it is a success, we can expect this to become a regular practice.