With the release of HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us right around the corner, plenty of fans of the video games are eager to see how the post-apocalyptic world will translate from gameplay to television. While The Last of Us game series is known for its descriptive storytelling, it's also memorable for its vivid, violent sequences, which depict some seriously gory deaths. More recently, Neil Druckmann (the creator of the game series and co-president of Naughty Dog) spoke with SFX magazine (via ScreenRant) and revealed that HBO's upcoming The Last of Us television series will have one key difference that separates it from its online predecessor.
As noted by the outlet, the highly anticipated HBO adaptation was developed for the small screen by Chernobyl's Craig Mazin along with Druckmann. The upcoming television show stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey (both known for memorable characters in Game of Thrones). The television series will take place in a post-apocalyptic United States and follow Joel and Ellie as they attempt to survive the harsh world and its infected occupants. Both the video game and its upcoming adaptation tell the story of a smuggler named Joel who is tasked with escorting a teenager named Ellie across the US.
Still, while the television series is expected to remain faithful to its origins in terms of its storyline, Druckmann noted that the HBO show will have one big change that will be noticeable to fans of the original series. According to Druckmann, The Last of Us TV show will significantly cut back on the violence seen in the video games. He said, "We need a certain amount of action, or violence, that we could use for mechanics so you could connect with Joel and get into a flow state. Then you would really feel like you're connected with this on-screen avatar and you're seeing the world through his eyes. But that doesn't exist in a passive medium."
Neil Druckmann "Loved" Hearing That Unnecessary Violence Would Be Cut From the HBO Series
The game series creator continued, "One of the things that I loved hearing from [co-creator Craig Mazin] and HBO very early on was, 'Let's take out all the violence except for the very essential.' That allowed the violence to have even more impact than in the game, because when you hold on showing the threat and you're seeing people's reaction to a threat, that makes it scarier. And when we do reveal the infected and the Clickers, you get to see what brought down humanity and why everyone is so scared."
ScreenRant additionally noted that HBO's choice to scale back on the depiction of graphic violence in The Last of Us is a somewhat surprising choice, as many HBO series (like Game of Thrones) aren't exactly shy about brutality. Still, while it's not uncommon to see gory sequences in the game series, Druckmann and Mazin's choice to cut down on graphic violence may ultimately work better for the live-action series.
The Last of Us will have its series premiere on January 15th, 2023.