![Craig Mazin Talks About His Hollywood Origins, Adapting Video Video games For TV & Subverting Expectations [Bingeworthy Podcast]](https://cdn.theplaylist.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/30131000/craig-mazin-the-last-of-us-hbo.jpg)
In at present’s episode of Bingeworthy, our TV and streaming podcast host Mike DeAngelo explores the post-apocalyptic landscapes of HBO’s newest status hit, “The Final of Us.” Tailored from the favored online game sequence and created by Craig Mazin (“Chernobyl”)and Neil Druckmann (“The Final of Us” online game sequence), the present follows Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal), a hardened survivor of a fungal pandemic apocalypse, who’s charged with preserving a 14-year-old woman (Bella Ramsey) alive, as she could also be humanity’s final hope of survival. The present additionally stars Gabriel Luna, Anna Torv, John Hannah, Nick Offerman, Melanie Lynskey, and extra.
READ MORE: ‘The Final Of Us’ Evaluate: Pedro Pascal Shines In A Heartbreaking Story Of Submit-Apocalyptic Survival & Defending These You Love
Becoming a member of Bingeworthy to debate the present is Emmy-winning co-creator, showrunner, and producer Craig Mazin. Through the chat, Mazin shared how he succeeded in pitching his concept to the online game creator, Neil Druckmann, and getting the story to the display screen after so many had failed.
“Nicely, promoting Neil [Druckmann] was simple as a result of I didn’t actually promote as a lot as I simply stated in my very own means, ‘Look, you’ve been doing it improper.’ As a result of Neil had been doing it himself, and he had been making an attempt to make it right into a film,” Mazin stated. “Nobody may make a great film out of ‘The Final of Us’ as a result of the enjoyment of it and the fantastic thing about it’s within the journey. And the journey is lengthy. And the modifications are refined. It’s a course of that you just fall in love with, not an consequence and never a plot. You probably have two hours to inform this story, you might be simply going to be soaking in plot.”
“And that isn’t the sturdy go well with of ‘The Final of Us,’” he continued. “It’s to not say that it’s a foul plot, however the pleasure of ‘The Final of Us’ and what makes it distinctive is the connection between Joel and Ellie and the way it evolves. And so I stated, this can be a TV present, and it’s an HBO present – you shouldn’t do it wherever else. And it ought to be handled like what it’s, which is a masterpiece. And it ought to be made for the perfect streaming platform there’s, the perfect community there’s. And I laid out why. And he, in his very Neil means, was very quiet and listened. After which, on the finish of this lengthy lunch, he stated, okay, let’s do it.”
From there, the present has been nothing however a runaway success for all concerned, with the premiere being HBO’s second largest in twelve years. Additionally, the primary to second-week viewership is the most important bounce in HBO’s historical past. Mazin and the corporate appear to have cracked the code of adapting beloved online game properties to the tv display screen. What’s the important thing to that success? Nicely, unsurprisingly, love.
“You must come at it from love,” Mazin stated. “And in the event you do, then the modifications you make come from love; they arrive from an understanding that you could change as a part of the variation course of as a result of it’s going to be a distinct expertise. You’re going from interactive to passive; issues will change, however you even have alternatives that you just don’t get within the sport. As an illustration, the power to alter perspective wildly everytime you need. That may be a heavy accountability, and it’s a must to deal with it nicely. So, every part that we did, finally, we did to make issues pretty much as good as they might be on tv.”
One of many largest modifications got here on this weekend’s Episode 3, entitled “Lengthy, Lengthy Time,” which noticed the looks of fan-favorite characters Invoice and Frank, performed by Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett, respectively. Through the chat, Mazin defined why he wanted to alter their story so drastically.
“I simply thought like, nicely, let’s see. We take away that gameplay side. We simply had two episodes which are fairly intense. I felt like we may take a breath for a second; we may discover really how [Bill] got here to have this city rigged up the way in which it’s within the sport,” Mazin stated. “After which go a little bit additional into the story of Invoice and Frank. And, then, it turned this very different factor with a really totally different ending. However the story, to me, is the type of emotional codex for the entire sequence. It’s about two alternative ways of loving, and it’s in regards to the those that wish to make the world round them higher and extra lovely and the individuals who maintain you and nurture you. After which on the opposite aspect, there are the those that defend you and defend you, and each varieties of affection are vital, but when they don’t stability one another, you find yourself with a variety of lifeless artists or a variety of very violent protectors. That’s the dichotomy that we are going to see play out time and again as we undergo the sequence.”
In fact, now that the present is successful, the massive query has been what number of seasons will it go on. In earlier interviews, Mazin has stated that he doesn’t wish to adapt past the second sport however that wanted some clarification, which he gladly supplied.
“We just about cowl the primary sport on this first season. The remaining materials is kind of a bit extra concerned and fairly intensive compared to the primary sport. There’s actually no technique to inform the story of the second sport in a single season,” Mazin stated. “And while you have a look at how we tailored ‘The Final of Us’ on this season, you possibly can already see the place it’s not simply the story that’s there; generally it’s these different tales we wish to inform. We actually need the liberty to do it proper. The one factor I insist on isn’t boring individuals and by no means placing out filler episodes. They’ve acquired to face on their very own and be compelling – all the time! However I believe that, as we proceed, the remainder of it may possibly’t be informed in only one season. That stated, nevertheless lengthy it takes to inform that story, that’s precisely so long as we’ll take and no extra. This isn’t one thing that goes on endlessly. It has an finish, and we write towards an finish.”
The primary three episodes of “The Final of Us” are streaming on HBO Max, with new episodes premiering every Sunday on HBO and HBO Max. You’ll be able to hearken to the total interview with Craig Mazin beneath:
Bingeworthy is a part of The Playlist Podcast Community, which incorporates The Playlist Podcast, Deep Focus, The Fourth Wall, The Discourse & extra. We might be heard on Apple Podcasts, AnchorFM, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, and most locations the place podcasts are discovered. You’ll be able to stream the podcast through the embed throughout the article or click on on the lead picture on the high web page. Make sure to subscribe and drop us a remark or a ranking, as we drastically admire it. Thanks for listening.
