A Last of Us actor claims the HBO series features one of the "best hours of television" ever

The Last of Us
(Image credit: HBO)

The Last of Us actor Murray Bartlett has teased that a script for the upcoming HBO series features one of the "best hours of television" he’s ever read.

"The scripts that I had to work with, one particular script is one of the best hours of television I've ever read," Bartlett told Collider. "It's beautiful. It's beautifully written. There are these zombie creatures in it, but it's tender and it's human. I think it's gonna be really special. I haven't seen any of it yet, but I'm really proud of the work we did and I think it could be really, really wonderful."

There's already an incredible amount of hype for HBO's The Last of Us series. A big-budget adaptation of one of video game’s greatest stories – co-created by Chornobyl’s Craig Mazin, no less – will do that. But Bartlett, who received widespread critical acclaim for his role as hotel manager Armond in The White Lotus, might have just tipped it over the edge.

Bartlett is all set to play Frank in The Last of Us series – a role that will be fleshed out from its off-screen presence in Naughty Dog’s 2013 game. Frank’s increased presence also hints at what Craig Mazin has already termed a more "enhanced" version of the game’s story in an interview with the BBC.

"In this case, I’m doing it with [Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann], and so the changes that we're making are designed to fill things out and expand, not to undo, but rather to enhance," Mazin said at the time.

The Last of Us, starring Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie, is set for release on HBO on January 15 and Sky Atlantic and NOW TV on January 16. Discover what’s making the leap from consoles to cinemas with our complete guide to upcoming video game movies.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

Read more
Clicker and Ellie
The Last of Us season 2 trailer brings the heart and the horror back to Joel and Ellie
The Last of Us season 2 first look
HBO teases how many seasons The Last of Us will run for – and it's more than we expected
The Last of Us season 2 first look
The Last of Us season 2 will tell "a different version" of the story, but Neil Druckmann loves the changes they've made: "Its DNA is in there"
The Last of Us
The Last of Us season 2 is giving a game character the Bill and Frank treatment – and he's so deep-cut you might barely remember him
Pedro Pascal as Joel in The Last of Us season 2 first look
The Last of Us season 2 release date, cast, plot, trailer, and more news
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in The Last Of Us season 2
The Last of Us season 2 creator says Abby looks different from the games because there's "not as much violent action" and that it's "more about the drama"
Latest in Action Shows
Daredevil recap: The Defenders
Marvel fans are discussing which of the Netflix series characters would have survived the Blip
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again killing off a fan-favorite character is controversial, but it might prove to be the right choice for the new Marvel show
Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil: Born Again immediately earns its title with a foundation-shaking opening that sets it apart from its Netflix predecessor
Alan Ritchson as Jack Reacher in Reacher season 3
Reacher star Alan Ritchson wants to play Batman so bad, he says "you wouldn't even have to pay me"
Shemar Moore in S.W.A.T.
This fan-favorite action show just got canceled for a third time – but this time, it's permanent
Daredevil: Born Again
After a comics Easter egg was spotted, Daredevil: Born Again fans now think that [SPOILER] is secretly alive
Latest in News
The Blood of Dawnwalker
The Witcher 3 dev says his new vampire RPG Blood of Dawnwalker wants to challenge genre conventions, but only if "we're changing them to actually achieve some goal"
Daredevil recap: The Defenders
Marvel fans are discussing which of the Netflix series characters would have survived the Blip
A misty, forested mountainside in Prologue: Go Wayback!
PUBG creator's wilderness survival game actually draws inspiration from an unexpected place - a whole raft of zombie games like DayZ, Project Zomboid, and Left 4 Dead
The Blood of Dawnwalker: A screenshot of the vampire Brencis holding up a crown during the trailer for the upcoming game.
The Witcher 3 devs created a Jekyll & Hyde-style character for their new vampire RPG "because nobody yet has done that"
Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in Daredevil: Born Again
Daredevil fans are wondering if Born Again season 2 will set up a darker comic book arc for Matt Murdock
Theo James as Hal in Osgood Perkins' The Monkey
It might only be March, but Stephen King adaptation The Monkey is now the highest grossing horror movie of 2025