Since its announcement earlier in the year, producer and writer Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) has teased plans for The Last of Us TV series piecemeal. Recently, Mazin confirmed the HBO show will enhance what’s so great about the original game. Though unable to divulge specifics, he’s since alluded to what this entails in terms of the show’s content. Apparently, there’s a “jaw drop” moment that Naughty Dog cut from the original TLoU, one that Mazin is excited to see reflected in live-action.
During an appearance on BBC’s Must Watch, Mazin explained the TV series will create new story beats and reimagine those featured in Naughty Dog’s original opus. But other bits and pieces from the source material will creep in, too, things fans technically didn’t know existed. Mazin recalled speaking with franchise co-creator Neil Druckmann, who’s producing the HBO show, about one idea in particular. Said idea interestingly landed on the cutting room floor during TLoU’s development. There seems to be room for it on the show, however.
Mazin went on to describe his reaction to Druckmann’s idea. “Jaw drop–that’s going in. For sure, we have to do that. You couldn’t stop me doing that. You will have to shoot me [to stop me] from doing that. And there were a few things like that.” Of course, he stopped short of sharing anything concrete. Yet, he did note that the scene in question serves as an example of the “organic” ways in which the show can expand upon the source material.
The writer additionally discussed what he aims to achieve in terms of fan expectations. His goal isn’t to “keep” fans in love with the franchise. Instead, the intention is to “make you fall in love with it again in a different way. It’s a passive way of taking it in, instead of playing it, but you’ll be experiencing more, with more characters in more ways. I think we’ve got something good going.”
Alluding to the aforementioned “jaw drop” moment, Mazin added: “If you have played the game, our intention is that you will watch the show and say ‘this has violated nothing of what I loved about the game, and what I witnessed in the game, but it has also brought me a whole lot more–things I did not know, really amazing things’.”
As of writing, there’s still plenty being kept under wraps about the TV series. Casting, release date, and filming details have yet to receive a public announcement.
[Source: BBC Must Watch via Eurogamer]
