While video game-to-TV adaptations aren’t usually our thing, we’re making an exception for The Last of Us, HBO’s newest take on dystopia.
Based on a 2013 video game of the same name, the compelling narrative and complex characters created by video game development company Naught Dog make for a perfect screen adaptation.
Even if you’re not much of a gamer, the series will be an immediate favourite for anyone who enjoyed shows like The Walking Dead or Falling Skies.
Here’s everything we know about the series so far.
What is The Last of Us about?
The Last of Us follows Joel and Ellie, two people trying to navigate life in a post-apocalyptic world, with zombies known as the Infected.
In the year 2013, Joel and his brother Tommy try to escape the anarchy and chaos caused by the Infected, and as they flee, Joel’s daughter Sarah is shot and killed by a soldier.
Twenty years on, Joel is working as a smuggler when he comes across a job that sees him smuggling teenager Ellie to safety in another part of the country. Ellie seems to be immune to whatever virus is transforming the Infected, so the pair set off to find someone who can help take Ellie’s immunity and transform it into a vaccine.
Who stars in The Last of Us?
The HBO influence seems pretty heavy in the cast, with both Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey joining the cast in the roles of Joel and Ellie.
Pedro is best known for his role as Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones, arguably the victim of one of the best death scenes on the show. Since then, he has starred in The Mandalorian, and its spinoff, The Book of Bobba Fett.
Bella was also introduced to the world via Game of Thrones, where she starred as Lyanna Mormont, the fearless, no-nonsense leader of the House of Mormont. She was referred to as the ‘breakout star’ of season six. Since then, she’s starred on CBS’s most-recent adaptation of The Worst Witch, and will star in Catherine, Called Birdy, an upcoming Amazon film created by Lena Dunham.
Gabriel Luna, who starred in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will join the pair in the role of Tommy, while Australian actress Anna Torv will star as Tess, Joel’s smuggling partner.
Anna is best known for her role in Mindhunter in the US, but has also recently starred in The Newsreader, the AACTA and Logie-nominated ABC TV series.
Parks and Recreation star Nick Offerman will also guest-star in the series.
Will there be more than one season of The Last of Us?
While no official claims have been made, we think it’s likely.
A lot of stuff went down in the video game, with Joel, Ellie, and Tommy seemingly on the run across a number of seasons. With 10-12 episodes being the standard per season these days, we highly doubt production will be able to fit it all in.
Further, a part two of the video game was released in 2020, which furthered the story of Joel and Ellie, and introduced a whole cast of new characters. So, we’ll be very surprised if more seasons aren’t already in the works.
Where can I watch The Last of Us?
Unfortunately, we’re still waiting on both a trailer and a release date, but we do know that when the time comes, the show will be available in Australia on BINGE.
New to BINGE? Try it out now with a 14-day FREE trial. START FREE TRIAL.
Now that the Prime Video app is on Foxtel, you can do it all. Start your free trial here.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
