The Last of Us HBO TV series is pushing ahead with its huge production, in the middle of its year-long shoot in Canada, on a scale and with budgets not seen before. And it has added some exciting creative talent behind the cameras – two new directors from HBO’s Barry and Netflix’s Umbrella Academy.
Previous directors attached to the project include creators/showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin. There is also Peter Hoar – also of Umbrella Academy, as well as Daredevil, Doctor Who and It’s a Sin. Three international directors of critically-acclaimed arthouse films are also directing – Kantemir Balagov (known for his film Beanpole), Jasmila Zbanic (known for her film Quo Vadis, Aida?) and Ali Abbasi (known for his film Border).
According to comicbook.com, the two new additions are Liza Johnson (Barry) and Jeremy Webb (Umbrella Academy, Shadow and Bone). The show’s budget is a reported eight figures per episode and is the biggest production in Canadian history. Based on the hugely popular games, the series stars Pedro Pascal, Gabriel Luna, Bella Ramsey and Anna Torv. It’s clearly an epic production, which may continue until June of this year.
The hotly-anticipated sci-fi series stars Pedro Pascal as the smuggler Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie, the teenager that Joel must escort across a post-apocalyptic United States. Set 20 years after civilisation falls to a deadly fungus, Joel is tasked with taking Ellie out of Boston’s designated quarantine zone, and the two begin a heart-breaking journey as they struggle to survive in a zombie-infested and lonely world. Fans of the horror games feel very protective of the characters, so this version will likely be highly scrutinised.
“Neil Druckmann is without question the finest storyteller working in the video game medium, and The Last of Us is his magnum opus,” said Craig Mazin, who developed the TV series with Druckmann, when the HBO series was first announced. “Getting a chance to adapt this breathtaking work of art has been a dream of mine for years, and I’m so honored to do it in partnership with Neil.”
If you’re looking forward to The Last of Us, check out our guide the best sci-fi series and the best zombie movies, while we wait.