Chernobyl writer set to tackle The Last of Us TV series for HBO
Craig Mazin will write the adaptation of the popular video game alongside its creator, Neil Druckmann
Screenwriter Craig Mazin was behind one of 2019's best shows, Chernobyl - and now he has turned his attention to a TV adaptation of popular video game The Last of Us.
Mazin will work alongside the game's creator Neil Druckmann to write and executive produce the series, which is being made for HBO, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
In addition to Mazin and Druckmann, Carolyn Strauss and Evan Wells – the president of Naughty Dog, the developer behind The Last of Us – are also on board as executive producers.
The series will be the first ever television series from PlayStation Productions, who are working in association with HBO and Sony Pictures Television.
Casey Bloys, HBO's programming president, said, "This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for us to partner with Craig, Neil, Carolyn and the teams at Sony, Naughty Dog and PlayStation to bring the virtual world of this acclaimed game to life."
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Meanwhile Chris Parnell, co-president of Sony Pictures Television Studios, added, "This is a true thrill for us at Sony Pictures Television. ‘The Last of Us’ is a brilliant achievement in storytelling and character development, and we are lucky to have the opportunity to work with this team to adapt it.
He went on to say that he hoped this would be the "first of many" shows that would be developed with PlayStation Productions.
The Last of Us is an action-adventure survival horror game that was first released in 2013 - with a sequel set to follow later this year.
It focuses on a smuggler called Joel who is tasked with ensuring a 14-year-old girl can find safe passage across a post-apocalyptic United States, in which a deadly parasitic fungus has taken hold.
HBO will likely be hoping The Last of Us follows in the footsteps of Netflix's The Witcher – which was based on a novel series but was more famous as a highly successful video game series.
