The Last of Us Release Date: HBO’s post-apocalyptic drama series is based on the video game of the same name.
- The Last of Us is the first HBO series to be based on a video game.
- The series received praise from critics for its performances, writing, production design, and score. Several critics considered it the best live-action video game adaptation.
The Last of Us is an HBO’s post-apocalyptic drama series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. Based on the 2013 video game developed by Naughty Dog, the series will follow Joel (Pedro Pascal), a smuggler tasked with escorting the teenage Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across a post-apocalyptic United States.
The Last of Us was the greatest game ever made. After years of waiting, Sony is now bringing the stealthy and terrifying survival horror live adaptation to HBO in January 2023, with some power-packed performers and well-known creators. This comes almost ten years after they first revealed they’d be creating a movie off of the 2013 video game The Last of Us and seven years after those plans fell through.
So, when will The Last of Us premiere on HBO? Who is the cast? What does this brand-new series have in store? Here’s everything you need to know!
The Last of Us Premiere Date on HBO
The most-awaited series premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, Jan 15, 2023, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Episode 1 has a scheduled runtime of 1 hour and 25 minutes.
Episode Guide & Release Schedule
Season 1 has a total of nine episodes and covers the events of the first The Last of Us game. We will get a new episode every Sunday following the January 15 premiere. Here’s the full schedule for season 1:
- Episode 1 (When You’re Lost in the Darkness) – January 15, 2023
- Episode 2 (Infected) – January 22, 2023
- Episode 3 – January 29, 2023
- Episode 4 – February 5, 2023
- Episode 5 – February 12, 2023
- Episode 6 – February 19, 2023
- Episode 7 – February 26, 2023
- Episode 8 – March 5, 2023
- Episode 9 – March 12, 2023
The series is a post-apocalyptic action/horror drama. It occurs twenty years after an animalistic, zombie-like infection caused by various cordyceps fungus infects humans. It causes those who breathe in its deadly spores to become infected.
The player controls Joel in the first game. Joel is a gangster living in a Boston quarantine zone, one of the few areas of civilization still governed by martial law and intense surveillance. While the tone and plot of the show appear to be similar to the game, the creators have stated that parts of the series can and will be different.
The official synopsis is as follows:
“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.”
The Last of Us Cast & Crew
The Last of Us was created by Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin (Chernobyl). Several video game veterans, including a particular zombie we all know, are included in the cast that has been officially disclosed so far. The series stars the following actors:
- Pedro Pascal as Joel
- Bella Ramsey as Ellie
- Gabriel Luna as Tommy
- Merle Dandridge as Marlene
- Anna Torv as Tess
- Nick Offerman as Bill
- Ashley Johnson as Anna
- Troy Baker as James
Is there any trailer?
HBO Max released a new teaser on December 20, 2022, depicting the threats that Joel and Ellie will face on this adventure, including a sequence inside a decrepit office structure that appears to replicate the skyscraper level from the first game.
Check out the trailer below:
Where to watch The Last of Us?
The Last of Us will be available to watch exclusively on HBO and HBO Max.
Will there be a second season?
Though not confirmed yet, co-creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin said to THR that a potential second season would cover the events of the video game sequel The Last of Us Part 2.
