The Last of Us fans have no problem criticizing their favorite video game series. Now that HBO is making a TV show, how is it managing expectations?
HBO is making a show based on The Last of Us, Naughty Dog’s video game franchise about a world struggling to recover after a zombie apocalypse. With two Last of Us games now available, there’s enough material for a couple of seasons of TV, at least. And even though video game adaptations have a reputation for being schlocky, The Last of Us stands a real chance of breaking through, both because the source material is pretty sedate and subtle (for a zombie story, anyway) and because the show it being worked on by Craig Mazin, the guy behind HBO’s excellent Cold War-era drama Chernobyl.
Even so, The Last of Us games have a lot of fans, and the pressure is on for Mazin and his team to adapt them faithfully and well. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Chernobyl Special, Mazin assured everyone that things were well in hand.
“I think fans of something worry that, when the property gets licenced to someone else, those people don’t really understand it, or are going to change it,” Mazin said. “In this case, I’m doing it with the guy who did it, and so the changes that we’re making are designed to fill things out and expand, not to undo, but rather to enhance.”
Indeed, Mazin is working on the show with Naughty Dog creative director Neil Druckmann, which should allay fears that he’s going to run the story off in a completely different direction. At the same time, some things will need to be changed to tell the story in a different medium. “We’re creating anew and we’re also reimagining what is already there to present a different format,” Mazin said. “It’s kind of a dream come true for me. I’m a little bit scared because a lot of emotions connected to this game are rather intense. I think I’m probably going to go hide in a bunker for a while because you can’t make everyone happy!”
Hell, not even The Last of Us video games can keep The Last of Us fans happy; the recently released second game has stirred up its share of spirited debate. Whatever happens with this show, it at least won’t be boring, which is good enough for me, for now.
Speaking of video game TV shows, Variety reports that Netflix has ordered two seasons of a show based on Splinter Cell, Ubisoft’s long-running spy franchise, from John Wick writer Derek Kolstad. With so many video game adaptations getting major talent attached these days, surely something has to stick, right?
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h/t IGN