The HBO series based on the award-winning video game The Last of Us finally starts production. Primary shooting is taking place in Alberta, Canada, commencing July, 2021 and is expected to be complete by next June, 2022.
Our confirmation comes via a picture posted by Gabriel Luna (who will be playing the game’s Tommy) on Instagram, featuring lead Pedro Pascal (Oberyn Martell on Game of Thrones) and Nico Parker, as Joel and Sarah respectively.
Supporting them and pictured in are also pilot episode director Kantemir Balagov and cinematographer Ksenia Sereda.
Game of Thrones break-out star Bella Ramsey who takes on the mantle of Ellie is missing from action in the picture.
Set in 2033, the world’s population in The Last of Us has been drastically disintegrated due to a fungal infestation that causes its victims to go feral, then destroys their eyes and lastly, rips off their throats.
Joel, the game’s protagonist, is tasked with the mission of escorting an immune 14-year old Ellie across the wasteland to doctors who hope to study her for a vaccine.
The TV series will explore the two’s journey across the wasteland facing off ferals, cannibals, rebels and some others who are just plain douchebags. Apart from the original video game, the series will also be adapting some of the storylines in The Last of Us Part II set five years in the future of the first game’s timeline, as well as Ellie’s background which was explored in the game’s prequel The Last of Us: Left Behind.
The attempt of adapting The Last of Us had previously resulted in a failed movie effort in 2013, alongside a cancelled short film that was initially commissioned by Sony.
For the sort that don’t give up, the video game’s creators at Naughty Dog finally entered a done deal with Sony Pictures Television and Playstation Productions in 2020. This will be Playstation Productions’ first show.
The Last of Us game creator Neil Drunkmann will be serving as the HBO series’ co-writer alongside Craig Mazin. Of the show, the audience can expect a fulfilling live-action of the game they’ve played so far with an addition of certain snippets that were left out of the game.
Here’s how Mazin puts it, in his webcast interview with BBC Radio 5
So the changes that we’re making are designed to fill things out and expand. Not to undo, but rather to enhance.
Craig Mazin
The Last of Us does not have a release date as of now. But overcoming the 7-year lapse in getting the cameras rolling is certainly delightful!
About The Last Of Us
The Last of Us is an HBO TV series adaptation of the award-winning video game of the same name originally developed by Naughty Dog.
It is set in 2033, as a fungal infestation plagues humans, turning them feral and blind before finally finishing them off. The series follows Joel’s journey to escort an immune 14-year-old Ellie to the Fireflies, who hope to study her to procure a vaccine.
The cast comprises Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, both famed for their roles in Games of Thrones, along with Gabriel Luna, Merle Dandridge, and Nico Parker. The show was renewed for season 2.
Source: Instagram
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