"I'm obsessed with endings" - Craig Mazin reveals how The Last of Us game inspired him for a TV adaptation
The Last of Us season 2 showrunner Craig Mazin spoke out on the creative process behind the HBO series. In an interview with RadioTimes on April 17, 2025, Mazin discussed how the second game within the franchise informed his method for approaching the show and enabled him to establish a more solid narrative vision from the outset.
As viewers get set to witness the new season unspool, Mazin's comments highlight just how much of an impact the source material has had on the adaptation.
Craig Mazin, whose Emmy-winning work on Chernobyl earned accolades, co-created The Last of Us with game director Neil Druckmann for television. Their work has been widely acclaimed, and as Mazin explained, it was his initial exposure to The Last of Us Part II, specifically one emotionally charged scene, that had a lasting effect.
"Because we had the benefit of seeing how things would change. And I'm obsessed with endings. I just think everything is about the ending, you know?" he said, in the interview with RadioTimes.
What did Craig Mazin say about The Last of Us?
In developing season 1 of The Last of Us, Craig Mazin described being taken by Druckmann to watch an already-completed scene from The Last of Us Part II. The scene was Joel taking Ellie on a visit to a science museum and putting her in a space capsule. It was a cinematic, extended cutscene that reduced him to tears, as he further added:
"I was just blown away. I was like, 'Okay, well, that's absolutely beautiful. I can't wait to play this game.'"
Although Druckmann presented him with an early version of the game, Mazin declined. He stated that he wanted to experience the game only in its ultimate, completed state, the same way that he made sure people watched the show when it was completely done.
By the time the game launched in 2020, Mazin had received early access and played it weeks prior to launch. Even as a showrunner, he acknowledged he couldn't keep his fan experience separate from his work mentality.
"I recall telling Neil, 'This is a great gift'... We knew more about the characters and the world at that time than Neil himself knew when he created the first game," Mazin said.
This greater level of comprehension, Craig Mazin suggested, allowed him to plan season 1 with a long-term story format in mind.
Craig Mazin highlighted his obsession with the endings of stories. He felt that writers could create meaningful surprises and emotional payoffs throughout if they knew how the story ended. He believed in storytelling as magic, stating that a writer needed to know the trick beforehand to effectively carry out the illusion.
When queried if he already knew the way the series concludes, Mazin replied that the crew had a destination in mind, although all of the specifics have not been written yet.
He further indicated that the creative vision for the show was heavily informed by both seasons of the game and that he and Druckmann agreed on how to bring important beats and themes into television.
"We understand where we want to go," he added, admitting that details are still in the process of being hammered out for future installments.
What is The Last of Us about?
The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic drama series based on the popular video game franchise by Naughty Dog. The television series, created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for HBO, is set in a world devastated by a fungal outbreak that turns people into aggressive, zombie-like creatures.
The show centers on Joel, a hardened survivor played by Pedro Pascal, and Ellie, a teenage girl portrayed by Bella Ramsey, who holds the key to humanity’s survival.
Season 1 saw Joel and Ellie on a treacherous odyssey through a devastated United States, taking cues from the story of the 2013 game. Season 2 continues with the characters established in Jackson, Wyoming, with new relationships and ethical challenges, as drawn from The Last of Us Part II.
The series has broadened its cast of characters with newcomers such as Kaitlyn Dever in Abby, Isabela Merced in Dina, and Young Mazino in Jesse, in line with the second game's more expansive and intricate story scope.
Made for HBO in association with Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Naughty Dog, and Word Games, The Last of Us is among the most successful shows for the network.
Its initial season won eight Emmy Awards and had close to 40 million viewers in the first two months after its release. The second season was released in April 2025, and the third season has already started production.
Interested viewers can watch The Last of Us season 1 and season 2 on HBO.
