HBO's live-action adaptation of The Last of Us has a release window.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, HBO and HBO Max's Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys revealed that fans of the beloved video game will need to wait a little longer for the show. According to the executive, The Last of Us will arrive "closer to early 2023." Reports suggested that the series was originally slated to debut in 2022, but Bloys later revealed that it would not release before the end of the year.

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Little is currently unknown about HBO's adaptation of Naughty Dog's beloved series but the studio has confirmed that it will be retelling the story players came to know in the first video game. Pedro Pascal stars as Joel Miller, a disgruntled and misanthropic smuggler who's tasked with escorting Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey), a young girl who may hold the key to combating a deadly fungal plague that has effectively turned the world's population into zombies.

The First Last of Us

Season 1 of The Last of Us will comprise 10 episodes and is based on a screenplay penned by original game co-creator Neil Druckmann of Naughty Dog. Craig Mazin, known for his work on the critically acclaimed HBO series Chernobyl, serves as an executive producer. The show is also expected to feature appearances by Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, who played Joel and Ellie, respectively, in the games.

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Speaking about the gravity of adapting such a beloved franchise for the small screen, Ramsey said The Last of Us feels like a landmark moment in her acting career. "[The Last of Us] does definitely feel like the biggest thing I have done and I have to not think about that too much as it freaks me out a little bit," Ramsey enthused.

While The Last of Us has a massive fanbase and is widely considered to be one of the best games of the past decade, that doesn't mean everyone involved in the series' production was able to play it. Pascal noted that while he was preparing for his role, he couldn't grasp the controls and had to ask for help. "It's so sad, I haven't any skill," Pascal said. "I tried, you know. And then it was only a matter of minutes before I had to hand it over to my nephew. It really takes a specific kind of skill, and I don't have it."

The Last of Us will hit HBO and HBO Max in early 2023.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter