The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann explains the HBO show’s timeline change
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Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann has previously revealed that certain episodes of HBO’s upcoming adaptation of The Last of Us will “deviate greatly” from their source material. But oddly enough, the timeline of Joel and Ellie’s on-screen adventure is also about to get shaken.
In the game’s chronology, the Cordyceps pandemic erupts in 2013, and the main events of The Last of Us take place twenty years later (i.e. 2033). But in the HBO series, proceedings begin in 2003, with most of the show’s story set in 2023 (as first revealed by The Last of Us’ promotional material (opens in new tab)).
Why the change? According to Druckmann, the decision to set The Last of Us in 2023 was made to “help make [the story] realer,” with showrunner Craig Mazin feeling TV shows could benefit from taking place in familiar timelines.
Speaking to TechRadar as part of a roundtable discussion ahead of the series’ HBO Max debut on Jan. 15, Mazin explained: “[The decision to shift the timeline] was something I talked to Neil about very early on. It’s a subtle difference. But I have a thing for jumping into the future. I feel like when I watch a show and the year is 2023, and the show takes place in 2043, it’s just a little less real. Even if I’m watching a show in 2023 and it’s set in 2016, it’s a little less real. So I thought it might be interesting to just say, ‘Hey, look, in this parallel universe, this is happening right now. This is happening this year.’”
Mazin also clarified that the move to bring up the show’s timeline had little impact on the nature-struck aesthetic of The Last of Us’ post-apocalyptic environments. “Practically speaking, [the decision] didn’t change much other than giving us a slightly different palette of prompts and set design and car choices,” the Chernobyl maker explained. “But interestingly enough, as we go through the series and keep finding new places and new remnants of the old world, we keep coming back to that vibe of 2003. So it was really just about helping people connect a little bit more to do and nothing more.
Druckmann, for his part, was pleased with Mazin’s preference to set The Last of Us in the present, piggybacking on his partner’s response to say that “if it helps to [the show] more realistic, then it is a valuable change.”
“It’s one of those things where there was no clear answer,” added Druckmann. “We were already so far away from 2013, so I was looking forward to it [the show] needed some sort of change, and I could see how strongly Craig felt about making the most of the current show. It was one of those changes that didn’t feel like we were changing anything fundamentally [The Last of Us] rings, so I bought it in.
So there you have it, folks. We’ll be sharing more insights from Druckmann, Mazin, and series stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in the coming days ahead of The Last of Us’ release on January 15 on HBO Max in the US. Viewers in the UK will be able to watch the show simultaneously on Sky Atlantic and Now from 16 January. We hope this earns a spot on our list of the best HBO Max shows.