The highly-anticipated series trailer for The Last of Us premiered today on The Last of Us Day, during a fandom-fueled annual celebration of the 2013 action-adventure Playstation game of the same name. “The Last of Us Day is our way of celebrating the incredible The Last of Us community who bring so much positivity, kindness, and joy, not only to us at the studio but to each other,” said the game’s developer and TV series co-producer Naughty Dog. “For 2022, we have some surprises that we’re thrilled to share!”
The Last of Us protagonist Joel, portrayed by Pedro Pascal, escorts Ellie, played by Game of Thrones actor Bella Ramsey, across the post-apocalyptic United States. Left devastated by a fungal infection that turns the infected into zombie-like creatures, they must traverse countless challenges. The 96-second trailer is set to Hank Williams’ Alone and Forsaken and will seem familiar to game players with the inclusion of the game’s introductory scenes, showing Joel and Ellie escaping a quarantine zone, two collapsing skyscrapers, and hearing the clicks that the infected, sightless mutated creatures (known as “clickers”) make as a form of echolocation.
According to HBO, the cast also will include Gabriel Luna as Joel’s brother Tommy; Merle Dandridge as Marlene, the leader of the rebel group the Fireflies; Nico Parker as Joel’s daughter Sarah; Murray Bartlett as Frank; Nick Offerman as Bill; Jeffrey Pierce as Perry; and Anna Torv as Tess. The HBO premiere of The Last of Us is anticipated in early 2023.