The monster-haunted apocalypse becomes a prestige HBO drama in full trailer for ‘The Last of Us’

It might’ve been a video game, but the world of The Last of Us always had the prestige drama vibes — even before there were a whole lot of prestige dramas actually on television. Taking things full circle, the full-length official trailer for the video game-turned-TV series has arrived, and as expected, it looks gorgeous. 

HBO has unveiled out best look yet at the upcoming original series, slated to premiere Jan. 15 on HBO Max. The series looks to deftly retell the saga of the original 2013 Playstation 3 video game, while seemingly working in some aspects of the DLC content The Last of Us: Left Behind. The story follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) as he sets off on a road trip to transport Ellie (Bella Ramsey) to a research facility on the other side of the country. Along the way they encounter other survivors, unimaginable monsters and the remnants of a world that has long since fallen apart in the wake of a monster-creating infection.

The supporting cast is also loaded, rounded out by Gabriel Luna (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Anna Torv (Fringe), Nick Offerman (The Resort), Merle Dandridge, Nico Parker, Murray Bartlett and more.

Check out the new trailer below:

The fresh footage looks exactly like what fans would hope to see, showing iconic locations, characters and monsters — including one of the biggies from the games (though most game players did their best to avoid those behemoths as much as possible). The one thing that comes through the most though is the severance for the quiet, foreboding atmosphere the game evoked so well. This isn’t a shoot ‘em up, or a straight-up horror game like Resident Evil. It’s a nuanced tale of loss and sadness, wrapped in a sometimes-terrifying human drama (that was also a video game). At least from everything we’ve seen to this point, HBO seems to get that.

Looking for more smart horror? Check out SYFY original series Chucky and Reginald the Vampire.