‘The Final of Us’ HBO Adaptation Brings Its Universe Past the PlayStation Sport

For author Craig Mazin, the scariest factor in HBO TV collection The Final of Us is not the Clickers, Bloaters or any of the opposite horrors from the acclaimed Sony PlayStation sport it is primarily based on. It is the second a lone scientist realizes a fungal mind an infection will cut back the world’s inhabitants into savage cannibals. This scene seems in a flashback newly created for the present — it wasn’t seen within the 2013 sport or its 2020 sequel.

“That is terrifying to me,” Mazin instructed me throughout a roundtable Zoom interview forward of the present’s Jan. 15 premiere on HBO Max. “It grounds all the pieces, and the extra we are able to make the peripheral really feel actual, the extra the middle will really feel actual.” 

Mazin utilized that very same curiosity to a real-life catastrophe when he created 2019’s acclaimed HBO miniseries Chernobyl. For The Final of Us, flashbacks and pseudo-scientific supply of the an infection had been derived from speaking to collection co-writer Neil Druckmann, who wrote the sport and can also be inventive director and co-president of developer Naughty Canine. He relished the chance to increase the Final of Us universe past what we see within the video games by an professional’s response to this apocalyptic revelation.

“Not solely is it scary to listen to the scientist say it is over, however the second the place she accepts it for herself and seeing the drama on her face is one thing distinctive for this [adaptation] that I am so glad we’re capable of present,” Druckmann stated.

The flashbacks aren’t the one change that followers of the sport will discover — the timeline has been shifted so the outbreak occurred in 2003 (relatively than the sport’s 2013), with the postapocalyptic narrative occurring in 2023 (as an alternative of 2033). As a result of the sport befell the 12 months it got here out, Mazin and Druckmann agreed that the chronological repositioning made sense because it did not essentially change the story.

“If I am watching a present within the 12 months 2023 and it takes place in 2043, it is just a bit much less actual. I assumed it may be attention-grabbing to simply say, ‘Hey, look, on this parallel universe, that is occurring proper now.’ So it was actually nearly serving to individuals join slightly bit extra,” Mazin stated.

“Virtually talking, it did not change a lot apart from giving us a barely totally different palette of props, set design and automobile selection. Curiously, as we go on by the collection, we maintain discovering new locations and new relics of the previous world, [always] coming again to that 2003 vibe.”

Pushed by grief

Additional grounding the story is relatable human drama at its core. Over the primary season’s 9 episodes, we comply with curmudgeonly smuggler Joel Miller, who’s been charged with escorting cheerful teen Ellie throughout a postapocalyptic US (we can’t say why, to keep away from spoilers). The pair are performed by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

Pascal, whom you would possibly know from Sport of Thrones and The Mandalorian, stated that the tragic loss Joel endured because the outbreak started continues to drive him 20 years later.

“He is fully pushed by trauma, and all the pieces that he does, for higher or worse, is formed by that loss and never experiencing that form of loss once more. It is one thing, sadly, so many people can relate to,” Pascal instructed me on Zoom. 

“It is wonderful to step into an adaptation of a beloved supply materials that has such an emotional human story on the heart of it, to make it all of the extra painful. Which we apparently love, as viewers members … we’re masochistic.”

Fellow Sport of Thrones alumnus Ramsey famous that Ellie sees Joel’s ache, which ends up in them forming a bond on their journey. 

“Ellie is conscious that there is one thing up with this man — there’s extra to him, he is not only a grumpy asshole for the sake of it,” the actor stated. “She sees a shared expertise; Ellie’s misplaced a really key particular person in her life [as well]. While you see somebody who’s been by one thing like that too, you need to join with them [even though] Joel may be very proof against it.”

Greater than surviving

The duo are in search of Joel’s idealistic brother Tommy, who’s discovered a goal attempting to fix this horrifying world. He is performed by Gabriel Luna, identified for his roles in Marvel’s Brokers of SHIELD and Terminator: Darkish Destiny.

“He needs what his brother has firstly, which is household — to plant a seed and watch it develop,” Luna instructed me over video chat. “He is in search of a world the place you may dwell with nature, and it is not attempting to actively kill you on a regular basis. He believes that we are able to really get again to it.”

Seemingly spearheading that return to civilization are the Fireflies, a bunch of rebels pushing again towards the navy’s harsh authoritarian management over survivors. They’re led by Marlene, who’s performed by Sons of Anarchy and The Flight Attendant actor Merle Dandridge. She instructed me that the Fireflies symbolize “hope,” as they hunt for a solution to give individuals their autonomy again.

This casting selection will delight followers, since she additionally voiced Marlene within the video games. (Joel and Ellie sport actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson additionally present up in unrevealed roles.) She additionally confirmed that the work she did for the 2013 unique proved helpful when she was returning to the position within the present, however the legendary standing the collection achieved within the years since opened up new avenues to discover.

“I completely did revisit the preparation. And checked in with Neil to verify I obtained it proper, as a result of over time, your reminiscence might erode the precise details,” she stated. “The nice present of getting an present supply materials that’s so liked, broadly performed and broadcast in all places is you can return, take a look at it and [immerse yourself].”

Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann will reveal extra in a companion podcast that’ll go behind the scenes of the present, HBO stated Monday, with podcast episodes dropping every Sunday. It’s going to be hosted by actor Troy Baker, who performs Joel within the video games.