No one should be surprised if the world Mazin and Druckmann conjure for “The Last of Us” far surpasses anything we’ve seen in the post-apocalypse genre. Teaming him up with Mazin, whose tense, gritty miniseries depicting the Chernobyl nuclear disaster received well-deserved praise, is also a sign of HBO’s confidence in Druckmann. Indeed, HBO’s unusual decision to give Druckmann such a central role in the adaptation of “The Last of Us” is evidence that the entertainment industry is already there (most video game adaptations for the screen don’t employ the same writers and directors). “Uncharted: A Thief’s End” quickly became not only the highest-selling “Uncharted” game but one of the best-selling PlayStation games.Īll of which to say that Druckmann, an Israeli-American who moved to the United States as a child, is the creator of the best video game stories of the past 15 years, and his oeuvre is a powerful argument that video games can be serious works of art and should be considered as such alongside movies and prestige television.
TV TROPES THE VANISHING OF ETHAN CARTER SERIES
Prior to creating “The Last of Us,” Druckmann helped write and design the Indiana Jones-esque adventures games “Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune” (2007) and “Uncharted: Among Thieves” (2009), which was hailed as one of the greatest video games ever made, earning high praise for its cinematic scope and stunning visuals.ĭruckmann was brought back to the series for its 2016 finale, “Uncharted: A Thief’s End,” working as both creative director and game director, earning the game a bevy of awards. If Druckmann’s prior work is any indication, the sequel will not disappoint. The game is set for release on May 29, 2020. In late 2016, Sony announced a long-awaited sequel, “The Last of Us Part II,” directed by Druckmann and co-written by Druckmann and “Westworld” writer Halley Gross. Druckmann became a father himself during the game’s development, and has said that the birth of his daughter was a major source of inspiration for the story. It’s the kind of story that appeals to parents, and particularly fathers. Without giving too much away, what makes “The Last of Us” so compelling is the emotional depth of the story, with its slow-burning exploration of fatherhood, familial love, heartbreaking loss, and redemption. It is not primarily concerned with exploring the fragility of civilization or depicting what would happen if society collapsed, nor is the gameplay itself a combat-driven gorefest. But this is no ordinary post-apocalypse zombie tale. Released in 2013 to critical acclaim, “The Last of Us” tells the story of Joel, a hardened smuggler in a world ravaged by a deadly pandemic, and Ellie, a teenage girl who might be the key to a cure.