Taking a popular game franchise and converting it into a film should be a slam dunk in terms of profits. While some of them don't appear to tick all the boxes with fans, there are plenty of video game movie adaptations that have grossed millions, showing that it's at least lucrative. As well as the big screen, there are also TV shows based on video games, such as the upcoming The Last of Us, which is due out next year. There's also been a slight update as to when fans can expect it to start airing.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, HBO President Casey Bloys has been discussing the future of the network, including the release of The Last of Us. While it's been established that the show will be launching sometime next year, when asked for further details, Bloys simply said that it's "closer to early" 2023. That still doesn't give a lot of information, but it does narrow down the window a little bit. Many might take this to mean Q1 of next year, but anything outside official announcements will be speculation only.
The HBO adaptation of The Last of Us was first announced back in March 2020. It stars Pedro Pascal as Joel and Game of Thrones' Bella Ramsey as Ellie, as well as Nick Offerman as Bill. On top of that, a couple of actors from the original game will also be reprising their roles, with Merle Dandridge once again stepping into the shoes of Marlene, and Jeffrey Pierce, who voiced Tommy, making a return as a new character called Perry. The show itself will follow Joel and Ellie as they venture out of the quarantine zone, much like the first game.
As well as the adaptation, The Last of Us PS5 remake is due out soon, with a scheduled release date of September 2 and a PC port due later on. While many are excited about the remake, others are a bit skeptical as to how a game that's less than a decade old justifies being remade, but the developer has insisted that this is not simply a "cash grab."
With The Last of Us: Part 2 considered one of the best games of the decade so far and the aforementioned remake coming out, there's likely to be a lot of talk about the upcoming HBO show. Whether it will pay dividends remains to be seen, especially with the recent Resident Evil adaptation receiving fairly mixed reviews.
The Last of Us is expected to release on HBO in 2023.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter