New York (CNN Business) "The Last of Us," one of the most critically acclaimed video games of all time, is getting the Hollywood treatment, courtesy of HBO.

On Thursday, the premium cable network -- owned by CNN's parent company Warner Media -- announced it is developing a "Last of Us" TV series based on the popular game in conjunction with Sony Pictures Television and PlayStation Productions.

The game tells the story of Joel, a divorced single father turned smuggler with a dark and tragic past, who is tasked with smuggling a 14-year-old girl named Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States. The two struggle to stay alive in a dystopian world ravaged by the outbreak of a deadly disease that turns people into murderous monsters, similar to the "infected" wretches in the horror classic "28 Days Later."

"The Last of Us" took the gaming world by storm on the PlayStation 3 in 2013, becoming one of that year's best-selling titles . Its harsh, dramatic themes and cinematic gameplay made it a hit with critics and fans alike. A remastered version of the game, with better graphics, was released the following year on the PlayStation 4.

HBO and Sony paired the game's BAFTA award-winning writer, Neil Druckmann , with "Chernobyl" writer and executive producer Craig Mazin to bring the story to life on screen.

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