Based on the 2013 video game of the same name, HBO’s upcoming The Last of Us series has finally taken shape with a new teaser — giving us a glimpse of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey’s looks as zombie-apocalypse survivors Joel and Ellie.

It seems that the series is taking great pains to recreate a 1:1 vision from the games, if the teaser is anything to go by. While brief, it showcases an iconic slice of dialogue from the videogame, and depicts Joel and Ellie’s tense relationship as the pair make their way through a desolate, harsh, unforgiving world.

We also caught a quick glimpse of Parks and Rec. star Nick Offerman, who plays the role of Bill — a quirky, somewhat paranoid fellow survivor who strikes up an uneasy alliance with the pair. He’s certainly amongst the minority, though.

Across the series, we’ll see Joel and Ellie not only face off against hordes of terrifying monstrosities — but against bloodthirsty squads of other survivors, driven to desperation and violence in a world that’s gone all-too-wrong.

Craig Mazin, the creator behind acclaimed HBO drama Chernobyl is handling the series, while Neil Druckmann of Naughty Dog, the studio that developed the video games, is on board as executive producer. As the biggest TV production in Canadian history (and the first HBO video-game adaptation), there’s plenty riding on the series — and fans have quickly gotten to discussing the short teaser on social media.

For starters, there’s the casting — while Pascal’s already become streaming royalty, there’s mixed opinions on the role of Ellie, despite Ramsey being a spectacular actor in her own right:

Offerman and Pascal, however, were instant hits with the fanbase, who drew parallels with the former’s role and his previous hit character Ron Swanson:

Finally, a few questioned the need to reimagine a show in the image of the videogames, but were quickly shut down:

Back in 2020, Francesca Orsi, HBO’s executive president, spoke about her excitement about the project. “Craig and Neil are visionaries in a league of their own. With them at the helm alongside the incomparable Carolyn Strauss, this series is sure to resonate with both die-hard fans of The Last of Us games and newcomers to this genre-defining saga,” she said.

The Last of Us is expected to hit HBO in early 2023.

Lead Image: HBO