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The Last of Us has quickly become a tremendous success for HBO. Just a few episodes of the show’s first season have aired so far, but millions of viewers have already become engrossed in the post-apocalyptic thriller. Before The Last of Us was a TV series, though, it was a successful video game, and before that, it was just an idea that Neil Druckmann had while in college. 

Creator Neil Druckmann pitched an early version of the story in school

Neil Druckmann holds a microphone while speaking at an event for HBO.
Neil Druckmann speaks during HBO’s “The Last of Us” Los Angeles Premiere I Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO

Neil Druckmann is known for his work at the video game studio Naughty Dog, where he is currently co-president. Before he started at Naughty Dog, though, he was a student at Carnegie Mellon University. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this is where he came up with the first iteration of what eventually became The Last of Us.

In 2004, Druckmann was assigned to pitch a story about zombies. This assignment was judged by George Romero, the filmmaker who arguably created the modern popular zombie image with his 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead. Rather than only focusing on zombies, though, Druckmann’s idea focused on a man who lost his daughter in the apocalypse and a girl who was orphaned. 

However, when Druckmann pitched his idea in college, it did not take off. Druckmann claims that Romero was not a fan of his idea and instead selected another pitch.

‘The Last of Us’ became a critical and commercial hit.

After college, Neil Druckmann began working at Naughty Dog. His first big break was working as co-writer and co-lead director of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, a 2009 PlayStation 3 release that became a massive success. Because of this success, Druckmann was able to choose what he worked on next, and he chose to return to his zombie story idea from college.

The result of this idea was 2013’s The Last of Us. Released originally on the PlayStation 3, the game stood out from other zombie games at a time when the undead dominated popular culture. Rather than traditional zombies, the game featured an infectious fungus that turned humans into mindless and terrifying hunters. The characters from Druckmann’s original pitch became Joel and Ellie, who are now considered some of the best-written characters in gaming.

The Last of Us was a major success. Between the original game, re-releases, and its sequel, the franchise has sold over 37 million units. 

Craig Mazin made the TV series a reality

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The success of the video game that started as a college story idea from Neil Druckmann eventually led to the series that is now airing on HBO. After an unsuccessful film deal, Druckmann hoped to adapt The Last of Us into a TV series. For this, Druckmann needed a co-creator, and he found the perfect candidate after watching the HBO miniseries Chernobyl.

Druckmann found the tone of the historical drama to be similar to his vision for the show, so Druckmann met with the creator of Chernobyl, Craig Mazin. After the two met and discussed ideas, they pitched the series to HBO. This pitch was successful, and the two got to work producing the adaptation.

The Last of Us has been incredibly successful so far. According to TechCrunch, the first episode has racked up more than 22 million views so far, and HBO has already ordered a second season.

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