Image: HBO
The Last of Us gets its first apocalyptic trailer, starring Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie.
HBO has released the first trailer for The Last of Us, an upcoming live-action adaptation of the beloved 2013 PlayStation videogame of the same name. The series will premiere on HBO and HBO Max in 2023 with a 10-episode first season.
Watch the trailer below:
The series stars Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian, Game of Thrones) as Joel Miller and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones, His Dark Materials) as Ellie - a reluctant pair forced on a post-apocalyptic road trip across America to complete a mission of the highest stakes possible. Joining them on various stages of their journey is a friend of Joel’s named Tess, played by Anna Torv (Mindhunter) and Joel’s brother Tommy, played by Gabriel Luna (Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD).
Nico Parker plays Joel’s daughter Sarah, while Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett play two survivors named Bill and Frank. Storm Reid plays Riley, a girl who’s seen in the trailer riding a carousel with Ellie. A few actors from the 2013 game are also in the series: Merle Dandridge reprises her role as Marlene, leader of the Fireflies. Jeffrey Pierce, who played Tommy in the games, plays a new character named Perry. Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson originally played Joel and Ellie, and return in this series in major - but currently unknown - roles.
Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets) has also been revealed to star as a new character named Kathleen, who Entertainment Weekly describes as, “the ruthless leader of a revolutionary movement in Kansas City.” HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation was created by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) with Neil Druckmann, the latter of whom directed the original game and its sequel. The games’ main composer Gustavo Santaolalla also returns to score the series - cementing that HBO intends to be faithful to the look and feel of the game.
It's certainly shaping up to be one of the best live-action adaptations a videogame could hope for, judging by this trailer alone. Eagle-eyed fans will notice multiple callbacks to the game in the new footage, including Joel’s broken watch, Firefly graffiti, the chaos of Outbreak Day and Joel embracing a bloodied Ellie in the snow. A few things have been changed here and there, but everything in this trailer still feels immediately familiar.
The Last of Us hits HBO and HBO Max sometime in 2023. I’ll leave you with a brief glimpse at the series’ Clickers:
