The Last of Us HBO TV Show: Release Date, Cast, Plot & More

Coming to HBO, The Last of Us TV show will be on our screens within the next year, hopefully sooner. Sad that we won't see it particularly soon, and not a huge amount has been officially confirmed by HBO, but we still have quite a lot to share. After all, the show is so high-profile that we've seen leaks after leaks after leaks. And not to forget, we now have a trailer that goes along with all of that as well.

From Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey joining the cast as Joel and Ellie respectively, to many more details about the show, we already have a bunch of stuff to share about the television show's cast, characters, story and release date.

The Last of Us is also coming to PC for all of you who haven't been able to play it yet.

First Look at The Last of Us HBO Show

We got our first official look at The Last of Us TV Show at the Summer Game Fest 2022. The image, which sees Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie respectively, is the first official thing we have actually seen from the upcoming show. On top of that, it was revealed that Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson will both feature in the show, though it was not revealed who they will respectively play, but it is awesome to have the people behind the beloved game characters featured in the series as well.

New look at The Last Of Us HBO #SummerGameFest pic.twitter.com/u9xpR0Aswn

— Nibel (@Nibellion) June 9, 2022

Since then, even more leaked set photos appeared, revealing that Sam and Henry will be in the show as well. We are yet to know who has been cast for these two roles, but later in the week, we also got our first dose of actual footage, and it looked pretty damn awesome.

When it comes to actual footage, though, nothing beats the original. So I'm glad HBO Max released the official teaser:

This looks great! Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay are a perfect fit for their respective digital counterparts. And the world also looks perfectly adapted. There have been sh*t adaptations with great visuals before, though, so I'm going to stay cautious until I get to watch the show for myself.

The Last of Us TV Show Release Date

HBO has reportedly confirmed that The Last of Us series will release on January 15, 2023, in the US. This is actually sooner than we expected, but I guess, if the production was smooth sailing, that's pretty good news. We don't want this video game adaptation to trash the legacy of The Last of Us. We want Joel and Ellie's story to be told well, with love and care, so it's good that the show is not being rushed through.

• Pedro Pascal: Last of Us Series Will "More Than Live Up to the Game"

What Is The Plot of The Last of Us HBO Show?

We know very little about the story that will feature in HBO's The Last of Us, except that it will cover the events of the original game. So we actually know quite a bit, I guess? While not confirmed by HBO, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that "future seasons" could also come, with the first season only lasting for ten episodes. I just hope they don't try to stretch the show out, to milk the cash cow a little longer.

One thing that we do have, though, is a synopsis from HBO. It doesn't really tell us any more than we would expect from the show, but here it is:

The story takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse across the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.

So yeah, that's simply the overarching plot of the game. Okay.

In an interview with the BBC, the show's Executive Producer and Writer, Craig Mazin spoke about the show, trying to reassure fans by saying "I'm doing it with the guy who did it, and so the changes that we're making are designed to fill things out and expand, not to undo, but rather to enhance." Sounds good to us! Can still be sh*t though. I mean, the Last of Us 2 was pretty controversial for its narrative choices, and that had Neil Druckmann on board as well.

Cast & Crew of The Last of Us TV Show

The following is a rough selection of who has been cast to feature in HBO's The Last of Us TV Show. We have included the show's top two writers/executive producers at the top of the list, as they are quite significant (as explained below).

The Last of Us TV Show Has Some Incredible Direction

Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin are both writing and producing HBO's The Last of Us. These gentlemen are integral to the success of the show, and both give us hope for its success. Druckmann, as we're sure you already know, directed and helped write The Last of Us video games. It's always great to have the person behind the original success story behind the new project. Even though it is not a surefire sign of success, it helps us believe that the TV adaptation will respect the source material.

Talking about depressing and dark, adaptations that respect the source material (thank you, Henry Cavill):

Craig Mazin, on the other hand, has significant experience producing these kinds of dark and sinister television programs. He is an American screenwriter and film director who made his name creating the absolutely incredible HBO miniseries Chernobyl. I guess this dude has a thing for apocalyptic and depressingly dark story adaptations. With the original creator of The Last of Us bringing his series and creative expertise, and Mazin bringing his incredible television and film experience to the table, it seems hard to imagine them missing the mark.

So there you have it, the cast, story and release date of HBO's The Last of Us, a show that will hopefully prove that video game adaptations can be good (something that cannot be said about the Halo TV Show). This all-star cast, Neil Druckmann's active involvement, and the fact that they are allowing plenty of time for the show's development, keep our hopes up for a great new show that will pay tribute to the original games.