Summary
- Craig Mazin played The Last of Us games 4-5 times and the sequel 3 times for insight into characters and world.
- Mazin's dedication to understanding the game's world shows in his thorough preparation for the HBO series adaption.
- Mazin's effort to connect deeply with the game transcends typical adaptions, promising a successful Season 2 premiere.
Now that everyone seems to be talking non-stop about The Last of Us Season 2 returning in only a few weeks, Craig Mazin has opened up about how many times he has played the Naughty Dog games so that he felt better prepared for the HBO series. Love for the post-apocalyptic epic adventure began all the way back in 2013 when the game was first released, which saw the emotional story of Joel and Ellie as they faced a United States ravaged by humans infected by a mutated fungus.
Since then, The Last of Us has gone on to become one of the best video games of all time, winning countless awards in the process. Seven years later, a sequel was released which saw the once harmonious relationship between the pair become unbearably strained due to Joel's actions at the Firefly hospital and also the introduction of a controversial character called Abby. Of course, as with a lot of games that have become very popular, The Last of Us was finally made into a TV series adaptation, and to the relief of fans, it was not only a success among viewers, season one became HBO's most-watched debut season, averaging out at almost 32 million viewers per episode. Now, as the long wait for Season 2 is nearly over, the series' showrunner, Craig Mazin, lifts the lid on how many times he has actually played the games, and the number is commendable.
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The Last of Us’ Craig Mazin Played the Games More Times Than Anyone Could Predict
Talking to ComicBook's Chris Killian about The Last of Us Season 2, Craig Mazin revealed that he has played Naughty Dog's first game in the franchise four or five times and the sequel, "at least three." This dedication to the cause not only helped hone his video game skills, but also, and most importantly, allowed him to get a better inside view of the characters, its world, and what really made it tick.
"I mean, I know for sure the first game probably four or five times. Second game, at least three. It’s a longer game,” he said. “But then there are chunks where instead of just playing through, I will then go back and just watch a playthrough just because I want to put myself back in the space of that moment and see how it functions. So the other thing I do is I look at transcripts of the games that I will refer back to all the time.”
Even though he played The Last of Us Part 2 quite a few times, the co-creator would look at different sequences via playthroughs so that he was able to transport himself instantly into its world at any given time, which gave him the ability to put himself into that space. Another method that proved useful to Mazin was looking back at transcripts from the game.
Mazin also talked about how people who have played the games have an "instant connection" to the characters already, as they were able to play through the story as either Ellie, Abby, or Joel and so with the TV series. Mazin says that he and Neil Druckmann needed to come up with something that would transcend that powerful dynamic in the show, or at least a sense of understanding. As seen in other films or TV shows of game adaptations, some actors and directors don't go to the lengths to actually play the video game that they have made, so knowing that Mazin has put in the time and effort, as well as wanting to understand The Last of Us' world, is something that should be congratulated.
The Last of Us Season 1 is available to stream on Max now, with Season 2 set to premiere on April 13, 2025.
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- Release Date
- January 15, 2023
- Network
- HBO
- Showrunner
- Craig Mazin
Cast
-
Pedro PascalJoel Miller -
Bella RamseyEllie Williams
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Craig Mazin, Peter Hoar, Jeremy Webb, Ali Abbasi, Mark Mylod, Stephen Williams, Jasmila Žbanić, Liza Johnson, Nina Lopez-Corrado
- Writers
- Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin, Halley Wegryn Gross
- Franchise(s)
- The Last of Us
Source: ComicBook