‘The Last Of Us’ Co-Creator Reveals The Show Almost Had A ‘Sadder’ Season Finale

*Warning: Spoilers forward for “The Last of Us”*

HBO’s hit sequence “The Last of Us” wrapped up its first season final Sunday, however it virtually completed off with a completely completely different vibe, in keeping with the present’s co-creator.

In a current interview with British GQ, co-creator Craig Mazin revealed he and director Ali Abbasi had been “playing around” with a lengthier and extra dejected ending between Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey).

The sequence, based mostly on the 2013 online game, tells the story of the pair’s journey by way of a post-apocalyptic world the place a fungus turns people into ravenous flesh-eating monsters.

In the course of the season finale, Joel and Ellie’s cross-country trek to Salt Lake Metropolis involves a detailed as they make their approach to meet up with the Fireflies. As a substitute of being met with reward for Ellie’s secure return, the fireflies knock Joel unconscious and whisk her away to organize her for a surgical procedure that may supposedly result in a remedy.

Then again, the surgical procedure would kill her within the course of as it will require eradicating and replicating the Cordyceps which have been in her mind since delivery.

Followers of the favored recreation ought to be acquainted with its controversial ending that sparked debate since its debut a decade in the past, wherein Joel makes the life-changing resolution to save lots of Ellie at humanity’s expense, killing anybody within the Firefly hospital who stood in his method.

Within the remaining scene, Ellie confronts Joel and insists that he guarantees her that the whole lot he stated in regards to the Fireflies is factual. Joel then lies to her, explaining that there isn’t any potential remedy. Similar to the sport’s ending, Joel doubles down on his lie, vowing that the whole lot he stated is true.

“[Abbasi] had this thought of just playing out this slightly longer, sadder version where Ellie says, ‘okay,’ and then she turns and walks away. And Joel looks after her. We see the two of them walking, not really together but apart, down towards Jackson. It lingers and then fades. There was something beautiful about it,” Mazin informed GQ.

Elsewhere within the interview, Mazin detailed how the choice to honor the unique ending was in the end a secure selection, primarily for many who had been acquainted with the supply materials.

“Everybody was like ‘what do we do?’ And there was that meta-discussion of, are the people that played the game going to be more annoyed that they didn’t get it just the way it’s supposed to be, or are they gonna be more annoyed that they only got what they had before? And then how will everybody else feel?” Mazin stated.

He added, “In the end, there’s something very specific about ending on that close-up of Ellie. Not knowing what comes next. Not knowing what she does. Does she walk away from him, does she walk with him, how does she feel? That moment gets suspended permanently.”

Last week, the favored sequence went viral after followers found an actual giraffe was used to recreate one of many recreation’s most basic and galvanizing scenes: The second Ellie encounters a giraffe for the primary time.

After the episode’s premiere, followers shared their ideas on Twitter in regards to the scene, after many initially assumed that the giraffe was 100% computer-generated. Viewers rapidly realized that there was nothing simulated in regards to the towering creature.

The scene, wherein Joel and Ellie meet a giraffe within the stays of Salt Lake Metropolis, was re-created utilizing a “combination of a VFX stage, scenery and location shoot with real giraffes from the Calgary Zoo,” in keeping with the show’s Twitter account.

Last month, HBO introduced that the drama sequence had been renewed for a second season amid the present’s huge success.

Season 1 of “The Last of Us” is streaming on HBO Max.