The Last of Us composer Gustavo Santaolalla has revealed the “terrible mistake” that was avoided on the show.
Adapted from the popular video game series, The Last of Us follows protagonists Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they travel across a post-apocalyptic United States.
The hit HBO drama received huge acclaim, with critics praising the writing, production, performances and – perhaps most importantly – its loyalty to the source material. This is in part due to the involvement of the game’s director Neil Druckmann and writer Halley Gross, who wrote the show alongside Craig Mazin.
Meanwhile, Santaolalla, who composed the music for the game and its sequel, The Last of Us Part II, also worked on the scoring for the TV series with composer David Fleming.
In an interview with ScreenRant, he shared how the music aided the story’s transition from video game to TV.
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“The fact that we kept the main themes, and we kept the sonic fabric of the series…” Santaolalla said. “I think it was a great help to bridge this transition from one thing to the other. I think it would have been a terrible mistake to change that.”
“The fact that we kept [the music] was a very good decision.”
Related: What The Last of Us‘s major finale twist will mean for season 3 as fans remain divided
When asked if his composing process differed from game to show, Santaolalla shared: “In Spanish, you have the words ‘arte’ and ‘artesania’. One thing is art, and the other thing is craft.
“Art involves the creation of the themes, melodies, harmony–the sonic fabric. The other thing is craft. ‘How do I make this to fit in that corner?'”
As his work was already woven into The Last of Us, he explained: “once you have that, [for] the rest, basically, there’s a lot of craft involved.”
“We have lots of new music too, but that music, in a way, is siblings with what I created before,” he added.
The Last of Us season 2 airs on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW in the UK. The show airs on HBO in the US.
Read more The Last of Us news on our dedicated homepage
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Divya is a freelance writer with experience in entertainment and lifestyle news. Described as a “telly addict” since childhood, Divya was able to translate her interests into a BJTC-accredited, Honours degree in Journalism and Media. After working in communications and marketing, Divya joined Digital Spy as a Freelance News Reporter. She has also written for various publications including Metro, Asian World News and TwitCelebGossip; as well as interviews, features and reviews on her own blog. Divya prides herself on her TV, film and showbiz knowledge, always offering (not so) fun facts to her long-suffering friends and family. From soaps to superheroes, Divya is the go-to person for tailored recommendations and up to date information.