HBO's The Last of Us adaptation debuts in January

UPDATE 2/11/22: The Last of Us' TV adaptation will indeed arrive in January, HBO and UK broadcast partner Sky have now officially confirmed.

As expected, the series' first episode will debut on 15th January in the US, which makes for a 16th January launch here in the UK.

These dates were previously glimpsed in promotional material and listings for the series visible to subscribers - more on all that below.

ORIGINAL STORY 1/11/22: It looks like The Last of Us TV adaptation will be premiering as soon as 15th January.

There have been numerous reports of the show's release date popping up on HBO Max's homepage. These have been verified by Eurogamer.

For now, the date is currently only visible to HBO account holders in the US. At the time of writing, the public HBO website still lists the show's release date as "2023".

On the other side of the Atlantic, Sky has also reportedly released a promotion for its services detailing a The Last of Us release date as 16th January. Given the time zones in the US, this would all line up.

The Last of Us adaptation stars Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie. Other cast members include Lamar Johnson as Henry, Keivonn Woodard as Sam, Storm Reid as Riley (from the DLC Left Behind), Anna Torv as Tess, Merle Dandridge as Marlene, Gabriel Luna as Joel's brother Tommy and Nick Offerman as Bill.

Meanwhile, HBO is also introducing some new characters to this adaptation. Graham Greene and Elaine Miles will both have guest roles in the series as Marlon and Florence, a "married couple surviving alone in the wilderness of post-apocalyptic Wyoming."

In addition to these new roles, it was also confirmed that Melanie Lynskey will portray a new character named Kathleen. She will reportedly be a "ruthless leader of a revolutionary movement in Kansas City", giving us yet more insight into some ways the show will deviate slightly from the game.