There is a lot of talk among The Last of Us fans about how true to the games the television adaptation will be. Based on the footage that has been released so far by HBO Max, it seems to be quite accurate. However, not all will be the same, as confirmed by the showrunners themselves, and one particular character will change the narrative of the games.
When adapting a game for screens, the creators often take some creative liberties with the plot and script. While The Last of Us showrunners have promised that the adaptation will be enough to please fans of the franchise, there will be some deviations. An important one will include Nick Offerman's Bill, a fan-favorite character from the game, and occur early in the season.
During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, The Last of Us series creator Craig Mazin, writer and creator Neil Druckmann, and HBO Max’s chairman and CEO Casey Bloys revealed some behind-the-scenes secrets about the much-awaited show. These included that apart from delivering an “elevated survival horror” with The Last of Us, the series will also “rise well above expectations” with some deviations in the story. In the case of the upcoming series, “this head-turning hour arrives early, with its third episode.” Without revealing too much, the showrunners confirmed that the episode would feature Bill, a hardcore survivalist in the game. However, it also includes “radical changes to the game’s story that will shock and perhaps challenge fans.”
In The Last of Us game, Bill is shown to be a survivor with fantastic scavenging and mechanical skills. He lives in a town named Lincoln and has built barricades and traps around his property to keep the infected out. It is revealed that he had some sort of smuggling arranged with Joel, who provides him with food, ammunition and even medicines. When Joel is given the responsibility of smuggling Ellie across the land, Bill helps him obtain a car. It is already confirmed that Bill will be a part of The Last of Us series, but it remains to be seen how his storyline will be altered for the live-action adaptation.
Along their way, Joel and Ellie meet a lot of stragglers and survivors in The Last of Us. So far, only Bill's involvement in the series has been confirmed. This has fans wondering whether some of the other characters will be making an appearance and whether Joel and Ellie's journey across the infected lands will be similar to the one in the game. The showrunners have confirmed that the change in Bill's story “won’t be the show’s last,” but overall the “series is highly faithful to the game.” Most of the dialogue will also be the same and “many familiar settings [are] rendered precisely into reality.”
The Last of Us premieres on HBO and HBO Max on January 15, 2023.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter