On Wednesday the release date for the much-awaited series The Last of Us was announced by HBO. The broadcaster said that the series will debut on HBO Max on January 15, 2023, and the first season will have nine episodes.

Also read: The Last of Us: Everything you need to know about the show

The series is based on a PlayStation video game of the same name and has been directed by Carolyn Strauss – the creator of the HBO series Chernobyl.

Also read: The Last Of Us: Release date, cast, plot, trailer

Variety reported that HBO had no plans to announce the release date in November. However, they had to go through with the announcement after one HBO Max user spotted an accidental leak on the streaming site on Tuesday and made the news public.

The teaser of The Last of Us was released early in September and it received good reviews. 

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey star in lead roles in the series. Nico Parker plays Pascal and Ramsey’s daughter. Gabriel Luna, Anna Torv, and Ashley Johnson also feature in the series supporting roles. 

Also read: The Last Of Us: Confirmed actors for HBO’s upcoming show

The plot of the series is based on the video game. The setting is a dystopic America of the future ravaged by a zombie apocalypse. The family comprising Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) are on a mission to save the world and themselves against the impending zombie attack.

Their daughter, played by Nico Parker, holds the key against the zombie outbreak, and they are seen protecting her at all costs in the trailer. 

All nine episodes in the series have been written by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann and Gustavo Santaolalla, who composed the score for the game, was roped in for the series as well.