Craig Mazin, writer behind the wonderful miniseries Chernobyl, is apparently teaming up with The Last of Us game director Neil Druckmann to adapt the PlayStation zombie thriller into a TV show.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series will focus on the events of the first game, though The Hollywood Reporter writes that there’s “the possibility of additional content based on the forthcoming game sequel,” the The Last of Us Part II. The project is set to be a collaboration between HBO, Sony Pictures Television, and PlayStation Productions. Carolyn Strauss, former president of HBO, and Evan Wells, president of Naughty Dog, will be producers.
“From the first time I sat down to talk with Craig I was equally blown away by his approach to narrative and his love and deep understanding of The Last of Us,” Druckmann told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement. Mazin also praised Druckmann, calling him the “finest storyteller working in the video game medium” and referring to The Last of Us as Druckmann’s magnum opus, despite it being a collaborative effort between hundreds of programmers, designers, artists, and actors.
Mazin seems like a good fit for the adaptation given the grim, suspenseful mood Chernobyl shares with The Last of Us. It’ll also be the first time a video game series has gotten the prestige television treatment.
No timeline was shared for when the show would start filming or be released. A movie adaptation of the Naughty Dog series Uncharted, meanwhile, is set to come out next March after years in production turmoil.