After the release of its much-talked-about trailer, HBO's The Last of Us has been receiving all kinds of hype lately, but its momentum slightly derailed when the latest leak was swiftly debunked by its showrunner.
The series, which stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel Miller and Ellie Williams respectively, follows the pair's story as they travel across the United States for an important mission. However, this isn't everyone's typical zombie show since its main focus is the bond between the two main characters that gets tested by the rabid infected threats and dangerous survivors.
The Last of Us showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (the game's creative director) have been at the forefront of the series' marketing. The pair teased that the show will expand on the game's original content while retaining the elements that stand out.
Ahead of its premiere next month, another example of how passionate one of its showrunners is toward the series was revealed.
The Last of Us Showrunner Debunks Leaked Episode Titles
HBO's The Last Of Us showrunner and director Craig Mazin debunked the leaked episode titles of the show's first three installments from a listing on Rotten Tomatoes.
In the said listing, the first three episodes had the following titles:
"Episode 1: When You're Lost in the Darkness
Episode 2: Cordyceps Ordo Seclorum
Episode 3: Long Long Time"
After the leaked episode titles became a major subject of discussion among fans, Mazin took to Reddit to confirm that they were fake, noting that the "Cordyceps Ordo Seclorum" title was an "early idea" they ended up ditching.
Mazin then promised that the final titles would be "released soon enough:"
"Hey folks, me again... this title was an early idea we had, but we ended up ditching it and going with something else, because as someone pointed out in this thread, it doesn’t really make much sense.
Anyway, this is not an official release of information from HBO. We’re not sure how this ended up on Rotten Tomatoes, but it’s incorrect. The final titles will be released soon enough."
Meanwhile, Empire released a new still from The Last of Us, showing Pedro Pascal's Joel protecting Bella Ramsey's Ellie from an unknown threat:
How Will HBO's The Last of Us Explore the Game?
One of the debates from diehard The Last Oo Us fans is how the HBO series would fit all the elements from the game into a nine-episode season.
Although the leak was debunked, showrunner Craig Mazin's comment about "Cordyceps Ordo Seclorum" being an early idea suggests that these could be close to the final titles.
The show's premiere will potentially cover the original game's heartbreaking opening scene, the origins of the Cordyceps infection, and the first meeting between Joel and Ellie. The second and third episodes could then touch on the backstory of the Fireflies (the game's revolutionary militia group) and Ellie while also focusing on the present-day journey of Joel, Ellie, and Tess.
The showrunners' promise of expanding the original game's content has already been teased in its trailer since Joel and Ellie are confirmed to meet a married couple named Marlon and Florence somewhere along their journey.
While this could mean that Season 1 will be full of twists and turns, it has already been confirmed that its final episode will cover the first game's much-talked-about ending to wrap it all up. This is on top of the showrunners' tease that elements from The Last of Us Part II will be included in some way to hint that a sophomore season might be in the cards.
Hopefully, the early hype for The Last of Us will translate to success when it premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, January 15, 2023.
