MOVIE NEWS – HBO has finally released the first trailer for the highly anticipated TV adaptation of Naughty Dog’s beloved video game The Last of Us, about finding a family amid a zombie apocalypse. The new trailer was released as part of Outbreak Day, i.e. The Last of Us Day, developer Naughty Dog’s annual franchise celebration.

The new trailer introduces Pedro Pascal as Joel, a middle-aged man who becomes a delivery specialist after a deadly virus nearly wipes out humanity. As in the original game, in the series we will be able to follow Joel, who accompanies Ellie, who plays Bella Ramsey, to a lab where scientists can examine her blood. With Ellie seemingly immune to the virus, her body could be the key to finding a cure and taking back society. The Last of Us follows Joe and Ellie as they navigate the ruins of the United States while escaping the highly aggressive infected. At the same time, they must contend with other survivors, some of whom are willing to do anything to gather resources and ensure their own survival.

Although plenty of zombie stories are out there these days, The Last of Us won the hearts of millions of fans thanks to its highly emotional story. As they work together to survive, Joel and Ellie form an unbreakable bond that raises the story’s stakes. The trailer reveals how close the HBO series adaptation stays to the game, with some locations perfectly reproduced for TV. But mainly it shows how perfect Pascal and Ramsey are for their roles. Just as Joel and Ellie are the essential characters of The Last of Us, Pascal and Ramsey also shine in the new trailer. After this trailer, we can all relax, the series is in excellent hands. The icing on the cake is that even the music for the trailer (Alone and Forsaken) was taken from one of the game’s most epic moments, which excited everyone in a PS3 Gamescom trailer ten years ago.

HBO’s The Last of Us also stars Storm Reid, who plays Riley Abel, another survivor who was the focus of the first game’s DLC, The Last of Us: Left Behind. This means that the series will go beyond the game’s original story, expanding the universe created by Naughty Dog. The series also stars Lamar Johnson as Henry, Keivonn Woodard as Sam, Parks and Recreation’s Nick Offerman, Anna Torv, Merle Dandrige, Nico Parker, Gabriel Luna, Jeffrey Pierce and Murray Bartlett. As announced at Summer Game Fest, Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker, who voiced Ellie and Joel in the games, have also joined the series in undisclosed roles.

The first episode of The Last of Us will be directed by Kantemir Balagov. The creators of the original games, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, are among the creators of The Last of Us and will also serve as executive producers.

The Last of Us is expected to premiere on HBO sometime in 2023. Watch the trailer below:

And the other classic The Last of Us trailer, in which we can hear Alone and Forsaken, is the Gamescom PS3 trailer ten years ago, in 2012, so the choice of music for the series is a gigantic tribute (which is also included in the game):