At long last, HBO has finally offered a glimpse of its highly anticipated live-action adaptation of the queer videogame series The Last of Us, and it has us craving more.
A “more coming to HBO Max” preview outlining a handful of the streamer’s upcoming series — which include White Lotus season two, The Idol, House of the Dragon, Los Espookys season two and more — closed out the showcase with its first-ever footage of The Last of Us.
“Everybody I have cared for has either died or left me,” says Ellie (Bella Ramsey). “You have no idea what loss is,” answers Joel (Pedro Pascal).
For fans of the games, this exchange is meaningful and speaks to the emotional core of their relationship. Which follows the two as they cross a post-apocalyptic United States decades after a fungal plague has swept through mankind, turning them into mindless, violent zombies. Joel is tasked with taking the teen out of the relative safety of their militarized compound (for reasons we won’t spoil here) and out into a world of bloodthirsty killers, both of the undead and living variety.
The clip also offered a glimpse at Nick Offerman’s character, Bill, a survivor with whom Joel shares a history and an uneasy alliance. We also saw a mysterious fungal growth on a wall, one that players know to stay well clear of.
While not seen in the clip, The Last of Us also stars Gabriel Luna as Joel’s brother Tommy, Nico Parker as Joel’s daughter, Sarah, Murray Bartlett as Frank, Anna Torv as Tess, and Storm Reid as Riley, who in the game is both Ellie’s best friend and first love.
Also appearing in the series are the game’s voice actors, Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker, who voiced Ellie and Joel, respectively, are set to play unannounced major roles in the series.
And Merle Dandrige, who voiced the character of Marlene in the game will be returning as that character in the HBO series as well.
The franchise broke boundaries with its queer representation, with the second game centering around a complicated WLW love story. It remains to be seen how Ellie’s sexuality will be addressed in the HBO series, but we can’t wait to find out.
The Last of Us premieres on HBO in 2023. Watch the footage below.
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