HBO just released the first three episodes of their live action adaptation of the popular video game franchise The last of us, with fans and critics loving the series. The latest installment of the series was one of the most critically acclaimed episodes to date and told a very interesting story about love and life during the apocalypse. The last of us did huge numbers for the series, with the first episode reaching over 22 million views and quickly becoming the second best premiere on the network after House of the Dragon. It was also announced that the series would be renewed for a second season and now a Sony TV executive is cheering the announcement. In a new interview with deadlineKatherine Pope discussed the season two renewal.

“IP and expanding universes certainly continue to be a big part of our business, and I think a big part of everyone’s business. I agree with you that PlayStation IP has become increasingly important – The Last of Us just got renewed for season two – and we have a really close relationship with PlayStation and their creatives,” said Pope. “The way I look at all the IP here, whether it’s Sony Music, PlayStation, old IP from TV or movie, it makes Sony stronger as a whole. So there’s a real focus, from Tokyo, through Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony [Vinciquerra]by means of [Sony Pictures’ Chairman of Global TV Studios] Ravi [Ahuja]. It’s all about working on the internal levers we have here to increase our standing in the entertainment community at large. There’s been a great collaboration that I’m really impressed with, I’m happy to benefit from it and be a part of it.”

Craig Mazin, the Emmy award-winning creator of HBOs Chernobyl, produced The last of us alongside Druckmann, the creator behind the popular video game series. In an interview earlier this year, the writer said The last of us is the “greatest” video game story ever told. “It’s an open and closed case: this is the greatest story ever told in video games,” Mazin said in an interview with Empire magazine. “[Joel and Ellie] shot nothing out of their eyeballs. They were just people. And that in itself is remarkably rare in games. The fact that they kept it so grounded and really made you feel – I had never experienced anything like it and I’ve been playing video games since 1977.”

Joining Pascal (Joel) and Ramsey (Ellie) include Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Anna Torv as Tess, Nico Parker as Sarah, Murray Bartlett as Frank, Nick Offerman as Bill, Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen, Storm Reid as Riley, Merle Dandridge as Marlene, Jeffrey Pierce as Perry, Lamar Johnson as Henry, Keivonn Woodard as Sam, Graham Greene as Marlon, and Elaine Miles as Florence. Original game stars Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker, who played the roles of Ellie and Joel in both video games, will also appear.

The first two episodes of The last of us are now streaming on HBO Max. The show’s first season will run for a total of nine episodes, with new episodes rolling out weekly.

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