The Last of Us Co-Creators Originally Blown Out HBO Show Writers

The Last of Us co-creator and game director Neil Druckman was initially dismissive of Chernobyl writer Craig Mazin because he didn't know who Mazin was.

When "The Last of Us" co-creator Neil Druckmann was initially approached by the show's other co-creator, Craig Mazin, to produce the show, he Be furious. Mazin is best known for writing about Chernobyl, a harrowing account of the 1986 nuclear disaster and its aftermath, which aired in 2019. The miniseries premiered to critical acclaim, was nominated for 19 Emmy Awards and won 10, including Outstanding Limited Series. It eventually led to Mazin's collaboration with Druckmann and the creation of The Last of Us, which will air on HBO and HBO Max on January 15, 2023.

In a feature story in The New Yorker, The Last of Us co-creator and game director Neil Druckmann admits that Mazin was originally considered a partner for the HBO series, and as Druckmann said, "I scared him away . I don’t know who he is.” Druckmann revealed that he ignored Mazin because he didn’t know who the writer was at the time. After meeting and poring over each other's work and concluding that The Last of Us would never succeed as a feature-length film, it was clear to Druckmann that Mazin was the right man for the job.

Why Chernobyl Writer Craig Mazin Is The Perfect Fit For The Last Of Us

Although on the face of it, it may not It looks like Mazin's time in Chernobyl will prepare him for The Last of Us, and it's clear from his work on the historical limited series that he's perfect for the job. Mazin strikes a good balance between grim visuals and emotional storytelling in Chernobyl, making the show feel very much like a real-life horror story. He'll no doubt bring the same formula to The Last of Us, as the critically acclaimed video game on which the show is based is filled with heartbreaking emotional beats and moments filled with tension and terror. Druckmann has said that he hopes the show will break the curse of bad video game adaptations, and with Mazin joining The Last of Us, that achievement becomes all the more likely.

Everything We Know About The Last Of Us

The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic action/horror series set twenty years after brain infections ravaged the world, in which Joel the smuggler is tasked with escorting a teenage girl named Ellie across America to a A faction called the Fireflies. In the original game, the events take place in 2013 and then 20 years later in 2033. For this series, Druckmann and Mazin Deciding that the outbreak would begin in 2003 instead of 2013 and follow Joel in 2023, two decades after the outbreak, brought the events of The Last of Us closer to today's day.

Joel will be played by The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal, while Ellie will be played by Game of Thrones actress Bella Ramsay. Also in the series are Anna Torv, Mel Dandridge, Gabriel Luna, Nico Parker, Storm Reed, Melanie Lynskey and Nick Offerman. Druckmann described The Last of Us series as similar to games, but noted that the changes came from changes in the medium. But if the show is anything like the game, viewers are in for a gruesome and brutal father-daughter story.

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