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The Last of Us takes place 20 years into the future when the planet has been ravaged by a post-apocalyptic global pandemic. A strain of cordyceps fungus infects people around the world and causes those who breathe infected spores to become animalistic or zombie-like.
Created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, it stars Pedro Pascal as Joel, a tough middle-aged survivor who is haunted by the trauma of his past. Bella Ramsey stars as Ellie, a 14-year-old who is immune to the Cordyceps infection and may be the key to creating a vaccine.
The show is based on a 2013 video game developed by Naughty Dog. Although most of the settings in the show are the same as in the game, there are some changes that have been made to the timeline. This could in fact turn out to be beneficial for the show.
HBO tweaked the timeline from the game for The Last of Us
The 2013 game states that the events that take place are set 20 and 24 years after the apocalypse eradicates humanity. This means the game is set in 2033 and 2037.
HBO's adaptation follows a similar approach. Although the exact year of the show hasn't been revealed by the channel, the official website states:
"The series takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed.”
The Last of Us starts off in 1968 and moves to 2003. The events of season 1 take place 20 years later, between 2023 and 2027.
Many of the years in the middle are explored in-game, and will probably see the same treatment in the series, but the primary plot will take place in the above-mentioned years.
Although the aforementioned timeline has not been confirmed by the channel, it would make sense for HBO to follow it. This would allow them to avoid potential confusion about the timeline — by mentioning events that took place between 2013 and 2023 — and provides them with a slightly more contemporary take on the story.
Fans now await more details to see what direction HBO will take.
The creator of The Last of Us game, Neil Druckmann, spoke to IGN and shed light on the differences between the show and the game. He said:
“HBO’s been great in pushing us to move away from hardcore action to focus more on the drama of the character. Some of my favorite episodes so far have deviated greatly from the story, and I can’t wait for people to see them.”
He continued:
"Things sometimes stay pretty close. It’s funny to see my dialogue there from the games in HBO scripts, and sometimes they deviate greatly to much better effect because we are dealing with a different medium."
As per HBO, the synopsis for The Last of Us reads:
"Based on the critically acclaimed video game The Last of Us, developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation platforms, the story takes place twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival."
The Last of Us will be released on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, January 15, 2023, at 9.00 pm ET/PT.
