For Craig Mazin, one of the two The Last of Us TV creators alongside original game designer Neil Druckmann, the video game has the best game story ever, “not by a little, but by a lot,” as he tells The Hollywood Reporter. So when it comes to adapting it for HBO, he wants to keep the ending intact, and not continue the show indefinitely afterwards.
While the show does include flashbacks to the origins of its fungal infection apocalypse, Mazin stresses they won’t be adding lots of new material to get extra seasons. “I don’t like filler,” he says, and the first season covers the entire first game. Should a second season happen, it will cover the sequel. And that could be that. “We have no plans to tell any stories beyond adapting the games,” Druckmann says. “We won’t run into the same issue as Game of Thrones since Part II doesn’t end on a cliffhanger.”
RELATED: The Last of Us Character Posters Highlight the Show’s Main Cast
The exception could be if another game comes out, which would then continue the original storyline. When it comes to a third game, Druckmann says “I think there’s more story to tell.”
As for the show, though, “I don’t have any interest in a spinning-plates-go-on-forever show,” Mazin says. “When it becomes a perpetual motion machine, it just can’t help but get kind of … stupid. Endings mean everything to me.”
The Last of Us premieres Jan 15 on HBO. Are you glad to hear it won’t go past the game story? Let us know in comments.
Recommended Reading: The Art Of The Last Of Us
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
