Original actors from the game also appear in the show - one of them, Merle Dandridge, even reprised her role as Marlene, a leader in a resistance group who kicks off the plot by enlisting smuggler Joel (Pedro Pascal) to travel with teenager Ellie (Bella Ramsey).īut the series’ differences from the source material also highlight how interactive storytelling diverges from TV and film. Druckmann and showrunner Craig Mazin took care to preserve the game’s narrative, going so far as to recreate scenes shot-for-shot and line-for-line. Perhaps that’s because Neil Druckmann, the game’s co-creator, now serves as the show’s executive producer. But, “the show has this incredible cast that you want to watch in the same way that you want to be the person driving the story in a video game.” “Games are not historically treated as like a sacred text when adapting,” says Rivera. Unlike many unsuccessful attempts, this one stayed true to the original. Ten years later, the game - often compared to prestige television - got its own HBO show. Brilliantly acted and animated, “it felt like the storytelling aspirations of a certain kind of expensive video game were finally being fulfilled,” says Joshua Rivera, TV critic for the gaming and culture website Polygon. Hailed by critics as a groundbreaking step for the medium, “The Last of Us” game debuted on PlayStation in 2013. HBO has already greenlit the popular show for a second season - an especially remarkable feat for a video game adaptation. Facebook Email Ellie (played by Bella Ramsay) tends to a wounded Joel (Pedro Pascal) in episode 8 of 'The Last of Us.' (Courtesy of HBO)

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