Turning video games into live-action is one of the most daunting tasks a producer has to face. 🤪Not only do they have to work with source material which is built to be way more immersive than a movie or TV series, but they also have to contend with fans of said game, who can often be a bit too headstrong when voici𓃲ng their opinions.
This is especially true in instances when a plot device needs to be changed in order to seamlessly integrate it into live-action. While HBO's The Last of Us is said to be a very close adaptation of the game, there will be some changes made to plot points in order to mould it into a live-action TV series.
"Obviously, there are some big things that we know we're keeping, of course, but then there are challenges from the game to the show that had to be considered," said executive producer Craig Mazin in an interview with (thanks, ). "For instance, little things like the spores. In the game, there are these where you encounter spores and you need to put a gas mask on. In the world that we're creating, if we put spores in the air, it would be pretty clear that they would spread around everywhere and everybody would have to wear a mask all the time and probably everybody would be completely infected by that point."
As those who've played the games will know, the Cordyceps virus spreads via fungal spores that thrive in dark areas – mostly indoors – and characters need to wear gas masks near them, in order to make sure they don't get affected. However, for the TV series, it appears that Mazin and Neil Druckmann have found another way to show the spread of the virus.
"So, we challenged ourselves to come up with an interesting new way for the fungus to spread but mostly I think we just connected with the soul and spirit of the game," Mazin continued. We'll only see what they've come up with once the show launches, but since Druckmann is so heavily involved, fans of the game shouldn't be too bothered by the changes.