HBO's The Last Of Us fans can finally check out extended version of episode 3 now

Today could be a very big day indeed for The Last of Us fans. Later on, Sony will hold a PlayStation Showcase, unveiling what we can expect from the second half of the PlayStation 5’s life cycle.

Rumours are rife with regards to what we can expect. It feels like a given that we’ll get a gameplay reveal and release date for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. I’m sure you’re like me though, and you’re desperate to hear something from Naughty Dog too. We’re still waiting on a full reveal of the upcoming The Last of Us multiplayer project which seems like the most likely announcement. There are also rumours of a The Last of Us Part II PS5 director’s cut too, which I wouldn’t be against. Of course, we’re all dreaming of hearing the words, ‘The Last of Us Part III is development’ too but that could be a next-gen console project. I have something to wet your appetite in the meantime: an extended version of HBO’s The Last of Us’ epic ‘Long Long Time’ episode.

Let's throw it back to The Last of Us Part II's epic reveal. That was a moment.

Unfortunately, you can’t watch an extended version of ‘Long Long Time’ but you can read it. The original script has been released as a part of Deadline’s ‘It Starts On The Page’ feature, examining 10 standout drama scripts in 2023 Emmy contention. They do note that all scripts and materials were submitted before the Writers Guild of America strike began back on 2 May.

‘Long Long Time’ was written by showrunner Craig Mazin, who pitched his Bill and Frank idea to co-showrunner and original game writer Neil Druckmann. Introducing the script via Deadline, Mazin wrote, “The Last of Us is a love story, and that’s not always good news. Love can blind us, move us to violence, harden our hearts to strangers, or paralyse us with grief. But in the world Neil Druckmann and I built for this show, it was just as important to show how love could still flourish in a positive way. I wanted to explore how two very different kinds of love - the nurturing, generous and beautifying, as well as the protective and possessive - could exist in balance.”

“Bill and Frank embodied these two kinds of love. And for me, as someone who has been married for over 25 years, it was just as important to portray that kind of love… the lasting, well-worn love that is a product not merely of attraction or chemistry, but of commitment. My hope was that people would see in Bill and Frank’s relationship the victory of honest, achievable, realistic love… even in Bill and Frank’s ending. After all, each of us will end. That’s not failure for any life well-lived, or for any love we share. It’s simply the final act of what was hopefully a beautiful play. And if we’re lucky, as Bill is, we leave behind a lesson that inspires others to live as we did. Frank changes Bill for the better. Bill changes Joel for the better. Joel changes Ellie for the better.”

The script is available to read for free via Deadline.