The recently announced The Last of Us show, set to premier on HBO, has been making waves ever since it was announced last week. As the scope of the show is slowly being revealed by the showrunners, the game's original director, Neil Druckmann, has recently given a hint at what parts of the story the show will be focusing on.
Many fans of The Last of Us have been curious as to what parts of the world and story of the title the show will be recreating, especially when looking at the troubling events of Joel and Ellie's rough lives. While some were hoping to see a view of the world ravaged by the mutated cordyceps fungus, apart from Joel and Ellie, it seems that at least the first season will be looking at familiar territory from the original game.
Responding to a tweet by HBO on International Women's Day about the network's history of strong female characters, Druckmann commented that a number of well-written women will be joining the list. Druckmann includes Ellie, Tess, Riley, and others from The Last of Us that are key figures from the narrative of the original game. This has lead most fans to assume that the story of the show will closely follow the key moments of the game, including one that Druckmann felt necessary to keep obscured.
The inclusion of Riley is interesting, as the showrunners have claimed that Ellie's sexuality won't be changed for the show, so it is likely that Left Behind will make an appearance during the series run. However, the confirmation that the show will be following the events of the game close enough to included characters like Tess and Maria is a fairly clear indication of how familiar the story will be. Only time will tell how the show will recreate some of the most famous moments, but the seeming lack of Sarah's name from that list might mean that viewers could at the very least be spared the most heart-wrenching scene in all of gaming.
There is still plenty to speculate when it comes to HBO's Last of Us series, and how faithful its interpretation will be to the original game. However, the show will likely be able to do the complex story that inspired it more justice than the now canceled movie could have in such a short runtime. Although, for now, anyone looking to familiarize themselves with the epic narrative can see it from over Joel's shoulder in the game at any time.
The Last of Us is available now for PS3 and PS4
Source: Twitter