The Last of Us movie reportedly cancelled to make room for HBO series

The newly announced Last of Us HBO series will reportedly replace the film adaptation which Sony announced in 2014. 

According to a report from IGN, Sony Pictures, the studio Sony created to handle adaptations of its video game properties, is now all-in on the HBO series. The film, which was to be co-produced by Naughty Dog creative director Neil Druckmann along with filmmaker Sam Raimi, has apparently been killed to make room for the series.

This cancellation remains unconfirmed, but it lines up with the news that Druckmann has signed on to co-write the HBO series with Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin. With The Last of Us Part 2 just months away, it's hard to imagine Druckmann splitting his time between a full-fat television series and a feature film, to say nothing of potential PS5 projects in the works at Naughty Dog. 

We haven't heard much about The Last of Us movie since its announcement, and in 2016 Raimi acknowledged that the film had reached an impasse, so it's clear that progress was slow going. It's possible that Sony Pictures decided to cut its losses now and pour its energy into another platform. 

There's no word on when The Last of Us HBO series will air - HBO says it's "coming soon" - but we do know it will be after the release of The Last of Us Part 2 in May. In the meantime, you can occupy yourself with leaked images of The Last of Us animated movie that never was. 

See what else to look forward to in our guide the best new TV shows coming in 2020 and beyond.