The Last Of Us Finally Gets A Release Date From HBO

The long-awaited TV adaptation of "The Last of Us" is coming sooner than you might think. HBO has confirmed that the series release date is January 15, 2023, a mere two and a half months from now. The series will air on HBO and will be available to stream in 4K on HBO Max. In theory, that's a pretty short wait, but for eager fans, it might feel like an eternity. Hey, at least we've got a date in the books!

According to the streamer, the show "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." It will chronicle the events of the first game, with reportedly some plot from the second game added as well.

"The Mandalorian" star Pedro Pascal and "Catherine Called Birdy" star Bella Ramsey take the helm as Joel and Ellie respectively, with Gabriel Luna playing Joel's younger brother and former soldier, Tommy, "Fringe" star Anna Torv as smuggler and fellow survivor Tess, and Merle Dandridge reprising her role from the first two games as resistance leader Marlene.

The series also has a stacked list of guest stars, including "The Third Day" star Nico Parker as Joel's 14-year-old daughter Sarah, "The White Lotus" star Murray Bartlett and "Parks and Recreation" star Nick Offerman as two survivalists named Frank and Bill who live alone in a ghost town, "Euphoria" star Storm Reid as a Bostonian orphan named Riley.

Lamar Johnson also guest stars alongside Keivonn Woodard as Henry and Sam, brothers in Kansas City hiding from a revolutionary movement seeking vengeance. Graham Greene and Elaine Miles round out the guest star roster as Marlon and Florence, a married couple surviving alone in the wilderness of post-apocalyptic Wyoming. Finally, voice actor Jeffrey Pierce, who is known for voicing Tommy, will rejoin the series as Perry, a rebel in a quarantine zone.

The series is executive produced and written by "Chernobyl" creator Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, the creator of "The Last of Us" and "Uncharted" video game franchises. "Beanpole" director Kantemir Balagov is set to direct the pilot episode, while "Aida" director Jasmila Žbanić and "Holy Spider" director Ali Abbasi will also direct throughout the season. "Chernobyl" and "Game of Thrones" producer Carolyn Strauss will also serve as executive producer, alongside Naughty Dog's Evan Wells — who originally developed the game — and Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan of Playstation Productions.

THE LAST OF US 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 and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.