HBO's The Last Of Us TV Series Will Not Debut In 2022

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but if you're hoping to catch "The Last of Us" on TV anytime soon, it'll have to be because you've booted up your PlayStation and you're playing the game (or, you know, you're playing it on your computer, gamers choice). While fans were hopeful that HBO would be releasing a series based on the incredibly popular apocalyptic survival game this year, it's just been confirmed that their adaptation of "The Last of Us" definitely won't be debuting anytime soon. Strike it off of your 2022 bingo card and try not to cry.

The confirmation comes directly from a Deadline interview with Casey Bloys, the chief content officer of HBO Max, who seemed optimistic that "The Last of Us" would debut in 2023, but not certain. "It's not going to air in 2022 — they are still shooting in Canada. I imagine you will see it in '23," said Bloys, right before adding:

"I have seen some early episodes and I'm very excited ... Craig did 'Chernobyl' for us, he is a fantastic writer and director. What I've seen looks amazing, so I'm excited for it, but it will not be in '22."

The Craig he's talking about here is "Chernobyl" creator Craig Mazin, who was also tapped to write and executive produce the series alongside the video game's creator, Neil Druckmann. On top of that, big names like Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey had been attached to the project, leaving fans hoping that things were chugging along smoothly and that the adaptation would be ready to debut sometime soon. 

If you've been able to escape the last nine years without hearing about "The Last of Us," let me fill you in. The game follows the serious and weary smuggler Joel (played by Pascal) as he and the young Ellie (played by Ramsey) travel across an apocalyptic, zombie-filled United States, in an attempt to deliver Ellie to an organization searching for a cure to this particular zombie virus. The game was an incredible success for developer Naughty Dog and a sequel title "The Last of Us Part II" was released in the summer of 2020 to even more acclaim.

While highly anticipated, HBO's adaptation isn't the game's first foray into Hollywood. In 2014, Sam Raimi was involved in the production of a "The Last of Us" movie, with a script penned by Druckmann and distribution by Sony's own Screen Gems. "Game of Thrones" actress Maisie Williams was even in talks to play Ellie, but the movie seemed to fall apart due to disagreements between Druckmann and the studio. Thankfully for the fans, HBO stepped up to the plate soon after and announced their own series.

It's always frustrating to find out that a piece of art you're looking forward to has been delayed, whether it's a movie, show, album, or video game. But Bloys' confirmation that shooting is happening and that he's seen a rough cut of a few episodes is still good news, even if it means waiting a little longer.