HBO revealed the first photo of the series, The Last of Us, an adaption series of the popular video game, via NME. Developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, the action-adventure game, The Last Of Us, has become a prominent force in video games with its unique perspectives and compelling storytelling. In 2020, HBO announced that they would make the game a television series.
The television series will follow the same storyline as the video game. After the society has been destroyed by an infectious virus for 20 years, the survivors live in totalitarian quarantine zones. Joel, a smuggler, is hired to smuggle a teenage girl named Ellie out of the quarantine zone. To survive, they have to get through deadly challenges and harsh environments.
Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal will play Joel in the HBO series. Pascal is known for his appearances in the TV series The Mandalorian and Narcos. British actress Bella Ramsay will play Ellie. Ramsay is known for her role as Lyanna Mormont in the HBO fantasy television series, Game of Thrones. She also played Mildred Hubble in the 2017 CBBC television series The Worst Witch. Other than Pascal and Ramsay, the cast members also include Gabriel Luna (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Merle Dandridge (Greenleaf), and Nico Parker (Dumbo). Dandridge is no stranger to The Last Of Us. She starred as Marlene in the 2013 video game and she will be playing the same role in the television series.
In the photo that HBO shared, we see Joel and Ellie standing together and looking at the grassy hill in front of them. A crashed plane lays on the top of the hill and the remains are scattered around. The two characters look very similar to Joel and Ellie from the video game.
Craig Mazin, the creator of Chernobyl, will executively produce The Last Of Us with Neil Druckmann, the writer and creative director for the video game. Other executive producers include Carolyn Strauss (Game of Thrones), Rose Lam (Double Happiness), Evan Wells (Jak), Asad Qizilbash, and Carter Swan (The New Empress). Kantemir Balagov (Closeness) will direct the first episode. Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Word Games, and Naughty Dog will serve as production companies for this project.
The Last Of Us is currently in production. The filming of the series is rumored to wrap in June 2022. The release date has yet to be announced.