by We’re less than two weeks away from the premiere of HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us, and you can tell fans of the franchise are getting pretty hyped. Starring Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal as Joel and Game of Thrones standout Bella Ramsey as Ellie, this post-apocalyptic zombie drama has all the makings of a hopefully instant classic – something that’s quite rare for video games brought to life as movies or TV- series. However, there is no doubt that fans are going to be concerned about changes being made to the story. And yes, changes are made – but for good reason – during the first season, which covers the first game.
Speaking to GameSpot, TV Guide, and Metacritic, The Last of Us game writer and co-director Neil Druckmann—who is also a writer and executive producer on the show—was quick to explain. “There are things that work in the game that wouldn’t work in the show,” he said. “The game is about — sometimes — immersion and these continuous sequences through continuous space and time to make you feel like you’re that character. And the show, if we were to film it just like that, it would just be boring, the violence would get messed up in a way that it doesn’t in the game because there are certain mechanics and things that really affect you.”