Neil Druckman and Craig Mazin, creators of the television series “Last of Us” wanted to ground the show in science and make Cordyceps feel like a real threat. Druckman and Mazin did extensive research to build a scientific foundation for the show. They hired an advisor, parasite biologist David Hughes, who helped them make accurate claims about how Cordyceps works. In the game “Last of Us”, a fictional mutation of the real-life Cordyceps fungi kills most humans, turning them into zombie-like clickers. Even though during the game, it’s never shown exactly where or how the outbreak began. Joel and his daughter Sarah first encounter the infected once they start wreaking havoc in their town, but anything before that is left a bit of a mystery. The story’s message about life after a disaster wasn’t the same as its focus on individual characters. Though the show is fictional, Druckman and Mazin had the time to explore the roots of mutation. In addition, Mazin said the real science behind Cordyceps was reason to explore its potential further.
What is “Last of us” about?
According to Neil Druckman and Craig Mazin, the gist of the game is about a stealthy survivor, Joel, hunting for his daughter as he tries to find out how she got infected. He finds other survivors who were infected by The Infected, starting a journey across what used to be the United States. Cordyceps is a fungus that grows on insects, turning them into zombies. The show allowed Druckman and Mazin to explore the science behind Cordyceps and deepen the lore of The Infected. Druckman said he can’t discuss any details about the show, but there will be more information about how Cordyceps got to America.
What events occur? How does it start?
The series starts with a viral outbreak in what was northern California. A fungus called Cordyceps has infected everyone living in the city of Santa Fe, turning them into “clickers”. Clickers are people who had been infected by the Cordyceps fungus, causing their bodies to mutate and become zombie-like. Their survival instincts were taken over by their fungus and every bite they make aims to spread the infection further. The player starts off controlling Joel, attempting to escape from the clickers in his house. After escaping, Joel finds a gun, and his daughter, Sarah. However, the game ends before he learns how she has been infected.
Will there be season 2 of “Last of Us”?
After the first successful season, this question was asked countless times by fans. Druckman and Mazin said they don’t plan to make another season, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any sequels. Druckman has a lot of ideas for future seasons of “Last of Us”. He mentioned that he already thought about doing a prequel series before the game launched, but after it was released, he decided against it. He said he’d be interested in doing a sequel to the game, but even if it does happen, it won’t be for quite a while.
@paodlcastillo qué cool entrevista de #TheLastOfUs 🙌🏻🤩 pic.twitter.com/cjJuNkUNi6
— YagoVenger (@VengerYago) January 7, 2023
Last of Us TV series review
The show was critically acclaimed and the game, which introduced us to the world of “Last of Us”, was also a huge success. Many fans of the game were excited to see a TV show made out of the original. However, some felt that it would never happen. It’s a nightmare scenario for any fan-made project: your favorite creators do not want to make your favorite thing ever!
In conclusion
Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin have decided to move on from the TV series “Last of Us”. The creators said that they’re already working on another project, so it’s unlikely we will see this in season two.
