HBO's The Last of Us TV show has the opportunity to expand upon the story and world established by Naughty Dog's 2013 video game, without directly adapting it. The acclaimed Playstation exclusive video game saw players navigate a post-apocalyptic world as Joel, who had to smuggle immune survivor Ellie from one side of the U.S to the other and face hordes of infected in the process.
The game was so successful that Naughty Dog has been working on The Last of Us Part II since; it was set to release in May 2020 but the sequel been delayed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. Part II is set to pick up half a decade after the events of the first game, this time following a bloodthirsty Ellie as she sets out on a vengeance mission. From what fans have seen of The Last of Us Part 2, it looks to be a breathtaking and visceral follow-up to the beloved first title. Considering The Last of Us has become such a game-changing experience, setting the bar high for what video game stories could achieve, it's no wonder that fans are eager for more and why Sony Pictures were enthusiastic to get a film adaptation of The Last of Us off the ground back in 2014.
However, little progress was ever made with the movie. Even Naughty Dog director Neil Druckmann, who had been involved with the project up to that point, voiced his concerns about a Last of Us movie. He said, "... and even I worked on the script for The Last of Us film, which was a direct adaptation. And now, having some separation from it, I look back and [am] like, 'I don't want that movie to be made." However, a couple of months back, HBO announced they were going to adapt The Last of Us for the small-screen. The series is supposedly set to cover the events of the original game with the possibility of additional content based on the forthcoming sequel. However, there are other ways in which HBO can expand upon the world established by the game(s) with its upcoming series - without directly adapting the source material itself.
HBO's The Last Of Us Can Fill in The 20-Year Gap After The Prologue
Anyone who has played the game will know that The Last of Us' prologue is utterly heartbreaking, in which Joel's daughter Sarah dies at the hands of a soldier as the pandemic is first breaking out. The game then cuts 20 years later to a much older, more taciturn and worn down Joel. He's also much tougher. While players find out the world has gone into complete lockdown in that time, with the military running a very strict operation, little information is given as to what occurred in Joel's own life in those two decades. It was dark, and involved him killing a lot of people - some innocent too - but the details are scarce.
Considering Joel goes from considerate father to stone-cold killer, it would be interesting to have a glimpse into his life during this period of time. How did he meet Tess? What went down between Joel and his brother Tommy? They had a pretty massive fallout, that much is made evident through the dialogue in the game, but they worked together prior to that. When Joel and Ellie get ambushed by marauders, Joel hints at a time when he was on the attacking end. Billy even owed him some favors, enough to get Joel a working car. Why? Considering The Last of Us Part 2 is told through Ellie's eyes, it's unlikely the second game will provide answers, so it's a blank slate of possibility. It would only add to Joel's character too, and embellish his arc further, thus making it a great storytelling direction for the HBO series to take.
HBO's Last of Us Can Show Ellie's Life Before Meeting Joel
Another good approach for the story of HBO's The Last of Us to take is looking at Ellie's life prior to the events of the game. While players do get a little bit more of Ellie's backstory thanks to the Left Behind DLC that released for the first game, she still has a lot of history that the games don't tap into. Left Behind recounted the inciting incident of the game: when Ellie got infected. It also filled in the gap in the main narrative when Joel was presumed dead and the story skipped ahead a little. However, Ellie's character still has plenty of unexplored back story and her life before meeting Joel could be a compelling story.
For starters, she was born during the pandemic. How or why is beyond anyone's guess, but her parents clearly didn't stick around very long as Ellie reveals she was taken under Marlene's wing early on. Her relationship with Marlene seems like a fascinating one; it means a lot to our youngster as she often mentions, but Marlene doesn't really give much thought to sacrificing Ellie for the greater good, as the end of the game reveals. It would certainly allow for a very compelling relationship, especially with fans knowing the end, therefore, underpinning the arcs with real stakes and impending dread.
Ellie was a firefly for some time and even in the Left Behind DLC, she talks about their drills and regiment. The idea of seeing the pandemic and the Fireflies through her eyes could make for some fascinating viewing in HBO's The Last of Us TV show. It's no secret that Joel and Tess are displeased with how they operate, but Ellie was under their wing and saw it firsthand. The fireflies' role in society is clearly political and exploring that through a young Ellie could add a new dimension to the game's world by offering an alternate perspective at its 'antagonistic presence'.
What Happened Between The Last of Us 1 & 2
The obvious direction for the show to take is to occur in the five-year gap between The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II. Whilst fans know very little about how much of this the sequel will fill in, it's currently ripe with potential. The first game ended with Joel lying to Ellie about her fate - even voice actor Troy Baker suggested Joel was more villain than hero as a result - and returning to Tommy's town to live life as normal. The trailer for The Last of Us Part 2 revealed that Joel lived up to his promise and taught Ellie how to sing. After the events of the first game, they deserved some peace. However, the world is a mess and infected and militia dominates it and even Tommy's safe-haven isn't always safe as the first game showed.
It remains to be seen how much Neil Druckmann decides to show us of this five-year timeframe, but there's no doubt that it wasn't all easy for Ellie and Joel. The marketing for the second game so far has hinted at the fact that Ellie was already running missions; what sort of chaos ensued is undetermined as of now but it's a clean slate that offers Chernobyl writer Craig Mazin and Naughty Dog's Druckmann a fresh palette to work with story-wise for the TV series.
Although it seems like HBO is taking the route of directly adapting the first game for the screen, it would be a shame to see them miss out on coming up with something new. After all, the first game told its story impeccably well. Don't tarnish that. The best option for The Last of Us adaptation now would be to take that incredibly tactile, apocalyptic world and story of the first game and expand upon it with stories we've not seen yet. There's a great chance for HBO to elevate Naughty Dog's masterful work even more whilst giving fans something new. That's the show that the game deserves and that the fans deserve too if an adaptation is to be done at all.