Australian actor Murray Bartlett is no stranger to prestigious television of the ongoing ‘golden age,’ having starred in many acclaimed American series including Looking, Tales of the City, The White Lotus and Physical. But he says that the scripts for the highly-anticipated television adaptation of The Last of Us are some of the best he’s ever read.
The Last of Us has been undergoing an epic shoot in Canada for most of 2022, with a vast cast and budget. It is set for release on January 15, 2023. Bartlett plays fan favourite character Frank, who is in a couple with Bill (Nick Offerman) and they have control of one of the towns that Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) pass through in the post-apocalyptic US.
Speaking to Collider about the games, Bartlett says; “As far as I know, in my research (because I went into a deep dive on what the game is) – it’s incredibly cinematic. The characters are really fantastic. It’s an amazing, complicated story with really deep themes in it. It’s an amazing creation.”
“They’ve really beautifully adapted all of those elements into this show. It’s an incredible team. Part of the team created Chernobyl, which is another amazing piece of TV. There’s an amazing cast. They’ve put a lot of love and resources behind it. I think it’s gonna be a fantastic show.”
Bartlett continues, “The scripts that I had to work with – one particular script – is one of the best hours of television I’ve ever read. It’s beautiful. It’s beautifully written. There are these zombie creatures in it, but it’s tender, and it’s human. I think it’s gonna be extraordinary. I haven’t seen any of it yet, but I’m really proud of the work we did, and I think it could be really, really wonderful. It will be really wonderful.”
HBO will be hoping that they have a Walking Dead-sized hit on their hands with all of the investment they’ve made in The Last of Us, and it looks like that will be the case.
If you want to know what we thought of the show, check out our The Last of Us TV series review. We’ve also got an article breaking down The Last of Us cast, so you can learn who’s playing your favourite The Last of Us characters. Read it quickly before the infected come.
While we wait until January, check out our guide to the best zombie movies.