2020 is already set to be an exciting year for fans of Naughty Dog’s acclaimed series The Last of Us with the upcoming and highly-anticipated release of The Last of Us Part II in May. However, Sony and Naughty Dog had another exciting announcement in store for fans this week with the reveal that the original game is being adapted into a new television series at HBO, under the head of series director Neil Druckmann and writer Craig Mazin, previously known for the acclaimed HBO miniseries Chernobyl. While many questions remain about what the series will cover as an adaptation of the game, Mazin has at least shed some light that one of the core elements of Ellie as a character will go unchanged on TV.
In response to fan questions on Twitter, Craig Mazin–the writer and producer of the upcoming The Last of Us series–gave a reply to a question about the character of Ellie and whether the TV series will maintain her sexual orientation from the games. Mazin stated that “you have my word” when it came to ensuring that the show’s version of Ellie will be accurate to the canon of the games, and that she will portrayed as being gay.
You have my word.
— Craig Mazin (@clmazin) March 5, 2020
Ellie’s sexual orientation was first explored in The Last of Us: Left Behind–the standalone DLC for the original game–where it was revealed that she was gay and had a developing relationship with her best friend and companion, Riley. As shown through the various trailers for The Last of Us Part II, this element of Ellie’s character will also be further explored through her relationship with Dina, a new character being introduced and played by actress Shannon Woodward.
In terms of other details around the upcoming television series, Mazin also shared a few other details behind the development of the series as it heads to HBO. Specifically, Mazin implied in a subsequent tweet that the series has seemingly been discussed (or in development) prior to September 2019, and mentioned that Woodward had actually introduced Mazin to Druckmann, presumably setting the team up for their eventual collaboration with HBO.
You can all thank me. Seriously! Ha…
pic.twitter.com/VUQlHn1ie2
— Steven (@StevenMcinerney) March 5, 2020
We were talking about it before that, but we do love you anyway, Steven. 🙂
— Craig Mazin (@clmazin) March 5, 2020
Special love for @shannonwoodward today, for her matchmaking skills. Thanks for introducing me to @Neil_Druckmann !!! https://t.co/jB31qvTRq2
— Craig Mazin (@clmazin) March 5, 2020
The Last of Us Part II will release exclusively for PS4 on May 29, 2020. The HBO series is currently in development, with no release date or window announced for its premiere at this time.
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