The post-apocalyptic drama that adapts the groundbreaking video game The Last of Us will be coming to HBO soon. Here are all of the information you need to know about the upcoming HBO series, including The Last of Us release date, actors, cast, and other details.
The Last of Us HBO Release Date: January 15, 2023
The Last of Us will debut on HBO Go and HBO Max on January 15, 2023. The first season of the show will have a total of nine episodes, released weekly. So, just for easy reference, fans can check out the schedule of the release below to get an idea of when to expect the show to progress:
- Episode 1 – January 15, 2023
- Episode 2 – January 22, 2023
- Episode 3 – January 29, 2023
- Episode 4 – February 5, 2023
- Episode 5 – February 12, 2023
- Episode 6 – February 19, 2023
- Episode 7 – February 26, 2023
- Episode 8 – March 5, 2023
- Episode 9 – March 12, 2023
Hence, The Last of Us air date will be on January 15. The Last of Us air date will continue until March and will stay on HBO for the foreseeable future. The Last of Us air time will not be affected as the show will be part of a streaming service, allowing fans to watch the show any time they want.
The Last of Us Plot and Setting
The plot and setting of The Last of Us are similar to that of the video games, with the protagonists finding themselves in the post-apocalyptic United States after a fungal outbreak caused humans to mutate into hosts of the Cordyceps fungus, causing them to become aggressive, zombie-like, flesh-eating creatures known as the Infected. Twenty years after the first outbreak, survivors live in quarantine zones, independent settlements, or as part of nomadic groups. Joel works as a smuggler with his partner Tess, and the pair later meet up with the rebel militia group Fireflies, who tasks the two to take a teenage girl named Ellie to the Massachusetts State House.
Ellie is infected, but unlike others, she has developed immunity and has not turned into an Infected, and could hold the key to finding a cure for the Infected. Through the Fireflies, it's hoped that they will be able to examine Ellie and finally put an end to the infection that has caused the apocalypse.
The Last of Us Cast of Actors and Actresses
The Game of Thrones co-stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will take up the lead roles for the show. Although the characters of the two never met in the George R. R. Martin flick, this time around, they will be very close and intimate, as Pascal takes up the role of protective father figure Joel as he tries to keep the teenager Ellie, played by Ramsey, from danger. They are also joined by a wide variety of actors and actresses, which is summarized below:
- Pedro Pascal as Joel, a smuggler who serves as the escort of Ellie. An aging man with a tortured soul, he is hard of hearing and his knees ache when he stands and is forever haunted by the death of his daughter Sarah at the beginning of the outbreak.
- Bella Ramsey as Ellie, a teenager who might hold the key to the survival of humanity, as she's survived the infection without turning into an Infected.
- Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Joel's younger brother, and former Firefly
- Anna Torv as Tess, Joel's smuggler partner who was tasked alongside him to take Ellie to a Firefly facility
- Merle Dandridge as Marlene, the head of the Fireflies, who also played the role of Marlene in the video games through motion capture.
Other guest characters include:
- Nico Parker as Sarah, Joel's daughter
- Murray Bartlett as Frank, a survivalist living in an isolated town with Bill
- Nick Offerman as Bill, a survivalist who lives with Frank
- Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen, the leader of a revolutionary movement in Kansas City
- Storm Reid as Riley Abel, an orphaned girl who is growing up in post-apocalyptic Boston
- Jeffrey Pierce as Perry, a new character specific to the show and a rebel in a quarantine zone, who also played the role of Tommy in the video games.
- Lamar Johnson as Henry, hiding from a revolutionary movement in Kansas City with his younger brother Sam
- Keivonn Woodard as Sam, a deaf, artistic child hunted down by revolutionaries alongside his brother Henry
- Graham Greene as Marlon, who lives with his wife Florence in Wyoming, also an original character for the series.
- Elaine Miles as Florence, who lives with her husband Marlon, an original character in the series.
- Ashley Johnson as Anna, Ellie's mother, who also played the role of Ellie in the video games.
- Troy Baker as James, a senior member of a group of settlers, who also played the role of Joel in the games.
- Rutina Wesley as Maria, the leader of a settlement in Jackson.
- Natasha Mumba as Kim Tembo, another original character to the series.
Other stars who are confirmed to be part of the show for undisclosed roles are Brad Leland and Scott Shepherd.
Show Details
As the first HBO series to be based on a video game, it was made in a joint production with Sony, Naughty Dog, PlayStation Productions, The Mighty Mint, and Word Games all involved. The impressive cast of actors and actresses bringing the video game characters to life is topped off with the showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, the former being the writer, creator, and executive producer of the Primetime Emmy Award-winning TV series Chernobyl. The caliber of talent leading the helm already gives us a good indication of the show's quality. This will be Mazin's first time adapting a video game franchise into a television series, which also be followed by a writing credit for the upcoming Borderlands movie.
Neil Druckmann, on the other hand, is the creator of The Last of Us and the co-president of Naughty Dog. His involvement, along with the involvement of Sony and PlayStation Productions, lets us know that the series will be true to its source material. However, fans of the game should still expect some differences between the game and the HBO series. Now, don't get your hopes up because that doesn't necessarily mean certain characters we love will no longer die. This is The Last of Us, after all. Druckmann himself said that the show will take the opposite approach of the 2022 Uncharted film, whereas Uncharted tells a new story with moments from the games being recreated to give the film “an Uncharted flavor.” However, The Last of Us will be a direct adaptation with minor deviations, with a stronger focus on character dynamics and relationships.
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