HBO confirms The Last of Us TV show will premiere in January 2023

HBO’s The Last of Us TV show will premiere on January 15, 2023, it has been confirmed.

After the release date leaked earlier this week, HBO and game developer Naughty Dog officially announced it on Wednesday.

Airing on HBO Max in the US and Sky in the UK (where it will premiere on January 16), The Last of Us is the first television series from PlayStation Productions, a studio formed by Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt its original game properties for film and TV.

Co-written and executive produced by Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and Naughty Dog vice president Neil Druckmann, it will cover the events of the first game and may include content based on The Last of Us Part 2.

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will portray the show’s lead characters, Joel and Ellie. Nico Parker (Dumbo), the daughter of actress Thandie Newton, is playing Joel’s daughter Sarah, while Gabriel Luna (Agents of Shield) stars as Joel’s brother Tommy.

Pascal, known for his work in The Mandalorian and Game of Thrones, intentionally created distance between his version of the character and Troy Baker’s in-game portrayal, only briefly watching his nephew play the game.

“I watched for as long as I was able to that day, and then I had to leave Florida,” he recalled in an interview earlier this year.

“I found Joel so impressive – I found the whole of it such a visually impressive experience. And then I got worried that I would want to imitate too much, which I think could be right in some circumstances, and then a mistake in others.”