Naughty Dog is celebrating The Last of Us Day with the launch of the teaser trailer for HBO’s highly-anticipated The Last of Us adaptation. The Last of Us Day marks “Outbreak Day,” or the date (September 26, 2013) that the brain infection hit the city of Austin, Texas, in the video game.
Based on the critically acclaimed video game developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation platforms, the series’ story takes place 20 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 series stars Bella Ramsey as Ellie and Pedro Pascal as Joel. Also starring are Gabriel Luna, Merle Dandridge, Nico Parker, Murray Bartlett, Nick Offerman, Jeffrey Pierce, and Anna Torv.
Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker, who voiced Ellie and Joel in the video games, will appear in the series as different characters.
Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin serve as co-creators, executive producers, writers, and directors of the HBO show. Carolyn Strauss, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Rose Lam are executive producers.
Kantemir Balagov, Jasmila Žbanić, Ali Abbasi, Peter Hoar, Jeremy Webb, and Liza Johnson are the directors.
The series is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television. PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog produce.
In a blog post, Naughty Dog talked about the annual celebration: “In 2013, our studio released a new game, The Last of Us. While we felt immense pride in what we accomplished, we could never imagine that nine years later we’d still see new and seasoned players experiencing this game and sharing their passion for Joel and Ellie’s stories.
“This year in particular, we’re honored to celebrate the franchise with The Last of Us Part I (Order Now) on PlayStation 5, a faithful remake of the beloved original. It not only offers returning players a chance to play Joel and Ellie’s journey in a modernized way but also introduces an entirely new generation of gamers to that original story.”
Naughty Dog added: “With advanced visuals and an expanded suite of accessibility features, and more, we’ve been delighted to watch new fans discover the game and longtime fans re-immerse themselves in the story that started it all.
“And so, we’re humbled to see this outpouring of excitement for the franchise grow and stay strong nearly a decade later.
“So many of you have shared how much the series has impacted you, and it’s such a privilege to know that The Last of Us continues to resonate with players worldwide.
“The Last of Us Day is our way of celebrating the incredible The Last of Us community who bring so much positivity, kindness, and joy, not only to us at the studio but to each other.”
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills to cover the latest streaming, movie, TV, and game news.