Some of the biggest names in television are behind The Last of Us, HBO’s new post-apocalyptic drama series.
Even with such talent, however, the TV show will have a hard act to follow when it premieres on January 15. It’s based on the 2013 video game of the same name, which sold more than three million copies in three weeks and earned a WGA Award, an Annie Award, and multiple SXSW Gaming Awards.
Set 20 years after the end of civilization as we know it, HBO’s The Last of Us, like the video game, follows two characters as they battle for survival in a decimated United States.
“Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone,” HBO says. “What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.”
See the cast and their video-game counterparts in the gallery below — including the actor who’s playing the same character in the TV show that she did in the video game.
The Last of Us, Series Premiere, Sunday, January 15, 9/8c, HBO