The Last of Us TV showrunner extends deal with HBO

Close up on the face of Ellie from The Last of Us
(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

The Last of Us showrunner has extended his deal with HBO and HBO Max.

On January 25, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Craig Mazin is staying put at HBO for an additional three years. The Emmy-winning showrunner worked with HBO on 2019's Chernobyl and is currently working with the company on a series adaptation of The Last of Us.

The new deal between Mazin and HBO has the showrunner collaborating with the company for another three years. Wading into speculative territory for a moment, this might indicate that the adaptation of The Last of Us that Mazin is spearheading could be at least a few years away from launching, which isn't out of the realms of possibility, considering we've heard very little news on the project since it was announced last year.

Previously, it was reported that The Last of Us TV show has been in development since March 2020, and a series order was made by HBO later in November. Since then, former Mazin collaborator Johan Renck, who was set to director the pilot, stepped away from the project due to scheduling issues, with Russian director Kantemir Balagov being brought in to helm the pilot instead.

News has been scant on the Last of Us on HBO for some time now. Earlier this month, however, Mazin promised that news was coming "soon enough." Could we finally see some casting announcements for the adaptation, or details on how many episodes the show will be comprised of?

If you're still looking for the best deals to get access to HBO's streaming service, you can head over to our HBO Max prices guide for more.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.