Forget two seasons, The Last Of Us TV show co-creator wants at least three
Craig Mazin says they'll "never" bore people with filler episodes
HBO’s take on Naughty Dog’s shroomocalyptic game series The Last Of Us has been praised by critics as the best video game adaptation ever, but the show’s co-creator doesn’t think both games can be squeezed into a single season each. Craig Mazin discussed his hopes for the TV version of The Last Of Us while guesting on an upcoming episode of The Playlist Podcast. Mazin seems to think the second game would have to spread out across multiple seasons, like the tendrils of an infected.
“We pretty much cover the first game in this first season. The remaining material is quite a bit more involved and rather extensive in comparison to the first game,” Mazin said. “There’s really no way to tell the story of the second game in one season. And when you look at how we adapted ‘The Last of Us’ in this season, you can already see where it’s not just the story that’s there, sometimes it’s these other stories we want to tell.”
“We really want the freedom to do it right,” Mazin explained. “The one thing I insist on is never boring people and never putting out filler episodes. They’ve got to stand on their own and be compelling – always! But I think that as we continue, the rest of it can’t be told in just one season.”
The actor portraying Ellie, Bella Ramsey, is equally hopeful that The Last Of Us will be renewed for at least another season. Ramsey said earlier this week that she thought a Season 2 for the show was “pretty likely”, but that it was ultimately a decision for the telly execs.
Naughty Dog might not expand the source material with The Last Of Us Part III, though. The studio’s co-president Neil Druckmann explained this week that they don’t feel pressured by Sony to develop any more sequels to The Last Of Us. “If we can't come up with something, we have a very strong ending with Part 2 and that will be the end,” Druckmann said. He also revealed that Naughty Dog are “moving on” from the Uncharted series.
You can catch The Last Of Us on HBO in the US and on Sky Atlantic if you’re in the UK. The Last Of Us Part I arrives for PC on Steam and the Epic Games Store on March 3rd 2023.