HBO’s highly anticipated adaptation of Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed video game “The Last of Us” is finally here — and TheWrap is providing a weekly roundup of the biggest changes and notable Easter eggs from its source material.
“The Last of Us”, written and executive produced by Craig Mazin (“Chernobyl”) and Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann, takes place 20 years after the destruction of modern civilization. Joel (Pedro Pascal), a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle a 14-year-old girl named Ellie (Bella Ramsey) out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What begins as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both have to cross America and depend on each other to survive.
“The Last of Us” first made its debut on PlayStation 3 in 2013, while its sequel, “The Last of Us: Part II” was released on PlayStation 4 in 2020. The franchise has sold over 37 million copies globally. By December 2022, according to Naughty Dog.
Chapter 1
game change
The opening scene of “The Last of Us” is immediately based on the source material, in which two epidemiologists discuss the danger that viruses and fungi pose to mankind. One of the many mentioned is cordyceps, which stems from the pandemonium of shows and video games.
HBO’s adaptation of “The Last of Us” debuted in the year 2003, 10 years before the video game. As a result, the 20-year time jump sets the show’s main timeline in 2023 instead of 2033.
The first episode allows viewers to spend more time with Joel’s daughter Sarah than the players in the video game. In new scenes not included in the video game, it is shown that Sarah goes to school and goes to pick up Joel’s birthday present. Another significant difference from the game is that Sarah is biracial in the series rather than Caucasian.
In addition, the episode introduces new characters who are not involved in the game – Joel and Sarah’s neighbor, Adler, and Kim Tembo (Natasha Mumba), a member of the resistance group known as the Fireflies – and questions this. answers where Joel was at the beginning of the video game: breaking his younger brother Tommy out of prison.
Other scenes that are based on the story of the video game show Joel and Tess dealing with difficult situations in the quarantine zone. Unlike the video game, Joel is behind a car battery in QZ so he can go find Tommy, while the video game’s plot point of the arms deal with Robert is reduced. Viewers also see more conversation between Ellie and Marlene before their meeting with Joel and Tess, which is not included in the video game.
Easter eggs
The most notable Easter egg from the first episode is that Merle Dandrig, the voice actor of Marley in “The Last of Us” video game franchise, reprized his role in live-action form.
Other Easter eggs in the video game include Sarah’s shirt, Joel’s watch, and the Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA), an opposing faction featured in “The Last of Us” video game franchise. The first episode also mentions the video game’s Fireflies slogan: “When you’re lost in the dark, seek the light.”
In addition, the scene in which Joel and Sarah drive away from their home in Tommy’s truck is taken from the video game.
