news culture “Everyone would be infected”: the co-creator of The Last of Us series announces yet another major difference with the original game
A few days before its release, the television adaptation of the video game The Last of Us continues to unfold. Today, it is Craig Mazin, co-creator of the series and showrunner who gives us information concerning the adaptation work carried out by himself and his team. After the question of violence, place to the epidemic, which should differ from the original version.
A difficult job of adapting
Adapting a work in a new format is always a difficult task, proof is with the video game which has never really shone in film or series, among others. If the trend begins to change, as with the Netflix series Arcane and Cyberpunk Edgerunners, the adaptation process remains complex and includes many challenges. An observation supported by Craig Mazin, co-creator and showrunner of the television series The Last of Us.
For Craig Mazin, transcribing the essence of the original game in serial format, with several episodes, the characters and the different plots to bring to life on screen, represents a tough challenge that necessarily requires making some compromises in order not to vitiate its artistic choices. One of the big issues that arises for the HBO series in particular – but also for the various video game adaptations in general – concerns the question of realism.
In video games, realism is sometimes put aside to serve the gameplay. Conversely, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann want above all to bring more realism to their show. Therefore, the two creators have to modify some elements, like the cordyceps infection. The spores that infect humanity will not act the same way in the series.
In the game, there are times when you face the spores and have to wear a gas mask. In the world we are creating, if we put spores in the air, they would definitely spread everywhere, everyone would have to wear a mask, and everyone would get infected at some point. – Craig Mazin for comic book
Many changes to expect
This change, as important as it is, is made in the service of realism, always with the aim of offering a narrative suitable for television, in order to maintain the suspension of disbelief of the spectators. The purpose is not to transcribe Ellie and Joel’s journey as it is, but rather to offer a story that is both faithful and functional in this new format.
This is not the first time that the showrunners have admitted to having changed certain elements. Neil Druckmann, for example, said last month that the series would contain less violence than the two video game opuses in order to give it more impact. It is therefore certain that this series will offer something different than the two video game opuses, but could equally appeal to spectators-players. See you next January 15 for the first feedback.
