"The Last of Us" Series Producer Promises Big Things for the Adaptation
Why “The Last of us” series adaptation will be excellent
By: Keaton Marcus
The Last of Us HBO series producer Craig Mazin has just promised some big things for the highly anticipated adaptation of the popular video-game franchise.
While recently speaking on a BBC Radio interview, Mazin, who is the creator of the legendary Chernobyl, the miniseries about the 1986 nuclear disaster, opened up about his show with Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann. The producer assured fans that they plan to “expand” the source material rather than “undo” it. That hopefully means audiences will be pleased with the final result.
“I think fans of something worry that, when the property gets licensed to someone else, those people don’t really understand it, or are going to change it,” Mazin said. “In this case, I’m doing it with the guy who did it, and so the changes that we’re making are designed to fill things out and expand, not to undo, but rather to enhance.” Those were some wise words from the producer, and it does promise a faithful adaptation that could actually improve on the already masterful game.
Mazin is also a self-proclaimed fan of The Last of Us franchise, so he described the project as a “dream come true”, but he was also honest. He acknowledged the challenges of turning this huge game into an event on the small-screen. He realizes the challenges of the task.
“We’re creating anew and we’re also reimagining what is already there to present a different format,” he added. “It’s kind of a dream come true for me. I’m a little bit scared because a lot of emotions connected to this game are rather intense. I think I’m probably going to go hide in a bunker for a while because you can’t make everyone happy!”
Well, we’ve certainly learned that after the audience review bombing for The Last of Us Part II. On Metacritic, the game scored a high 94 with the critics, indicating nearly universal acclaim, however, the audience rating stands at a mediocre 5.6/10, indicating mixed or average reviews. So while almost all critics lauded it, and plenty of fans enjoyed it, there was a big group of people that just weren’t happy.
For the audience score, at least, it was a massive dip from its predecessor’s 9.2/10. With the review bombers, it was suggested that fans were angry because of Joel, one of the main characters in the game, dying so abruptly and in such an animalistic fashion. And then the gamers were forced into playing the same character, Abby, that brutally murdered Joel. Not just that, but gamers felt that the game was basically coercing them into liking Abby after she killed one of the most beloved characters in the game.
It’s certainly a sticky situation, but Mazin seems determined to making it a success not only with critics, but with the massive fanbase as well. After the series was announced, the producer also confirmed that Ellie, the main character, would still be gay.
The release date of the series is still unknown. Are you guys still upset about the second game, or are you still ready for the series?
