Having just come off some major BAFTA wins for HBO’s mini-series “Chernobyl,” that show’s creator Craig Mazin is returning to the network fold for the upcoming live-action series adaptation of Naughty Dog’s iconic video game “The Last of Us”.
Mazin will serve as a writer and producer on the upcoming series which also has heavy involvement from the game’s creator Neil Druckmann. Speaking with BBC Radio 5 Live, he reveals that the series won’t just be a faithful re-telling of the game in narrative form, but it will also expand and enhance the original’s story:
“I think fans of something worry that, when the property gets licenced to someone else, those people don’t really understand it, or are going to change it. In this case, I’m doing it with the guy who did it, and so the changes that we’re making are designed to fill things out and expand, not to undo, but rather to enhance. We’re creating anew and we’re also reimagining what is already there to present a different format.
It’s kind of a dream come true for me. I’m a little bit scared because a lot of emotions connected to this game are rather intense. I think I’m probably going to go hide in a bunker for a while because you can’t make everyone happy!”
That action-adventure survival horror game launched in 2013 for PS3 and shortly after PS4 and scored critical acclaim – winning many game of the year awards. Set twenty years after an infectious fungal pandemic first arrived, an older man and a young girl are brought together by chance and must make life-altering decisions in order to survive as they travel across the United States.
The original game has sold over 17 million copies and is considered one of the greatest video games ever made. The game was followed up by a sequel launched last month to great critical reviews and strong sales but also resulted in a divisive reaction from users.
Source: IGN
