HBO is making a TV Show out of The Last of Us, helmed by Chernobyl creator

Naughty Dog, the studio behind the popular PlayStation title “The Last of Us” has partnered with HBO to create a TV series around the game. The TV show is being made by Craig Mazin, the creator of Chernobyl, a mini-series based on the nuclear disaster that shook the world in 1986. On top of that, Naughty Dog’s own Neil Druckmann will help write and executive produce the series. Sony PlayStation Productions as well as Naughty Dog president Evan Wells are also part of the project.

The show will follow the plot of the first game where jaded survivor Joel has to smuggle a teenage girl Ellie out of a quarantine zone. The game sees the duo team up to fight off the Infected, which are basically zombies as well as rogue citizens on a cross-country tour. There is also a chance that the plot will touch upon events expected in the sequel of the first game, called “The Last of Us Part II”. The release date of the sequel is set for May 29.

Naughty Dog’s game has been acclaimed for its mature storytelling and character development and, while TV show adaptations of popular games are still a rarity (Netflix’s Witcher must have started a trend), HBO won’t have to work too hard to turn this into a gritty tale of survival that can be enjoyed by non-gamers.

The Last of Us TV show also marks a new inning for Sony. Chris Parnell, the co-president of Sony TV studios had said that this is the first of many shows that the company plans to develop with PlayStation Productions. How many of them actually make out of the pilot remains to be seen. A lot is also riding on the success of the TV show currently under making.

from suyesh tech tips