A brand-new trailer for HBO's upcoming The Last of Us adaptation was released during CCXP Brazil over the weekend, giving us a first look at several key supporting characters and arguably the video games' most terrifying and formidable foe, the Bloater.
Based on this footage - which contains a key callback to The Last of Us Part II with its musical choice - the show is going to stick pretty closely to the plot of the first game, but it sounds like there will be some big surprises in store for those who think they know what to expect.
"It's about the journey. It's entirely about the journey," said showrunner Craig Mazin. "I have played The Last of Us about 12 times. I know how it ends. I love the journey. And we promise, there will be surprises along the way. If you've played the game, I promise you there are things that you don't know that are coming that will blow your mind."
"There's stuff that was written that we didn't get a chance to put in the game that is in the show," added game creator Neil Druckmann. "So, you'll get to see an enrichment of these characters...It's interesting, we've now talked to people who have watched the entire season and went back and played the game, and they said the game is now richer having watched the show."
The Last of Us is set 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed and centers on the relationship between Joel, a smuggler in this new world, and Ellie, a teenager who may be key to a cure for a deadly pandemic. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle the 14-year-old girl out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey as they traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and the game's creator Neil Druckmann are writing and executive producing the show. The first season will adapt the events of the original game, but is also expected to include elements of the sequel. Druckmann recently confirmed that the series will take some liberties with the story.
The first season will consist of 10 episodes, and is set to hit our screens on January 15.