Even though the Uncharted movie keeps continually going through hell (despite picking up a new director and actor), it looks like Naughty Dog is finding another way to jump to non-interactive formats. Naughty Dog Vice President Neil Druckmann and Chernobyl writer and producer Craig Mazin are heading up a The Last of Us HBO series that’s meant to retell the events of the first game. It’s not clear when the limited series will hit the premium television network, but it is “coming soon.”
Druckmann, who was the creative director and writer for The Last of Us and its DLC Left Behind, will be the executive producer and write it alongside Mazin, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Mazin even changed his Twitter avatar to reflect the news and Druckmann tweeted his enthusiasm for working with one his favorite writers.
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Carolyn Strauss will also be an executive producer. While maybe not known in the gaming world, she was president of HBO’s network’s entertainment division up until 2008 and commissioned some of the network’s most acclaimed work like The Sopranos, The Wire, and Sex and the City. Evan Wells, Naughty Dog’s president, will also be an executive producer. This will be the first television series from PlayStation Productions, which was started in May 2019 to give Sony’s worlds “life in another spectrum.”
Given the dour atmosphere of Chernobyl, it’s a seemingly great fit to involve Mazin. Druckmann expressed how that connection would work in tandem with The Last of Us‘ dark world.
“From the first time I sat down to talk with Craig I was equally blown away by his approach to narrative and his love and deep understanding of The Last of Us,” said Druckmann in a statement. “With Chernobyl, Craig and HBO created a tense, harrowing, emotional masterpiece. I couldn’t think of better partners to bring the story of The Last of Us to life as a television show.”
