US broadcaster HBO is bringing out “The Last of Us” as a live-action series. A first longer trailer has now been released and the start date of the first episode has been announced. We already summarized all the important information for you.
- The successful video game “The Last of Us” will be turned into a live-action series by US broadcaster HBO in early 2023.
- Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, who voice Joel and Ellie in the video game, will also have roles in the series.
- Now HBO has released the first official and also longer trailer for the already soon to be released series.
US broadcaster HBO has secured the rights to The Last of Us video game series for Sony’s PlayStation consoles and is adapting the story as a star-studded live-action series. Since that announcement, fans have been on pins and needles. Now, not only has a first longer trailer been released, but the start date for the first season has finally been revealed.
The Last of Us: Release Date
It’s finally been decided when “The Last of Us” will be released! The video game adaptation will premiere on the US channel HBO and its in-house streaming service HBO Max on January 15, 2023.
But fans in this country won’t have to wait too much longer either. As expected, “The Last of Us” will be broadcast on Sky and Wow – and almost simultaneously. Due to the time difference, however, the broadcast will be postponed to the night of January 16, 2023.
Although it has not yet been officially confirmed, it can be assumed that the total of nine episodes will probably be broadcast in a weekly rhythm.
The Last of Us: Trailer
Eager fans no longer have to wait, as Sky has now released the first official trailer for the HBO original drama series. The clip not only gives us a much more detailed foretaste of the events and the dark atmosphere, but also finally reveals when the series will start.
In addition, the first official poster for the soon-to-be-released series has now appeared. This was also shared by the game developers via Twitter.
In September 2021, Neil Druckmann, writer and executive producer of the series and developer of the game, previously published a photo on Twitter showing Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in their costumes as Joel and Ellie for the first time.
The Last of Us: Storyline
The series will pick up the plot of the game, The Hollywood Reporter reported. “The Last of Us” is set in a post-apocalyptic world. In it, Joel Miller, a hardened survivor, gets the job of smuggling 14-year-old Ellie out of the quarantine zone. The job becomes a dangerous journey across the United States. Ellie represents the last hope of humanity.
Perhaps the series also picks up the plot of “The Last of Us” Part 2. This picks up 4 years after the first game. Joel and Ellie lead a relatively peaceful life in the meantime. But soon they have to deal with the Washington Liberation Front (WLF, called Wolfs) from Seattle.
It’s possible that the series adaptation will also break new ground and develop its own plot, so that fans of the games will also be surprised by the developments.
A plot element that was only touched on in the video games will probably play a bigger role in “The Last of Us” series. The two Fireflies rebels, Bill and Frank, refer to each other as partners in the video game. This does not delve into what is meant. One of the game developers has confirmed that it is a romantic relationship. This is now to play a more weighty role in the series.
The Last of Us Movie
Due to the huge success of the video game, Sony planned a movie shortly after the game’s release. Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann was supposed to be the author and Sam Raimi (“Spider-Man”) the producer.
As Canadian magazine Collider reports, Druckmann says “The Last of Us” movie didn’t happen for the following reason: “When I was working on the movie version, a lot of the thoughts and notes were ‘How can we make it bigger? How can we make the sets bigger?’ I think that’s ultimately why the movie didn’t get made.”
The Last of Us: Cast
The main actors of the series have been known for a long time. “The Mandalorian” star Pedro Pascal will play the role of Joel. Ellie will be portrayed by “Game of Thrones” actress Bella Ramsey.
Ellie is described by The Hollywood Reporter as an orphan “who has never known anything but a devastated planet and struggles to balance her instinct for anger and defiance with her need for connection and belonging.”
Naughty Dog, the video game studio behind “The Last of Us,” confirmed the casting via Twitter.
Now, showrunner Craig Mazin confirmed on Twitter that Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson (“Blindspot”) (the voice actors for Joel and Ellie in the video game) will take on roles in the series. However, details about their roles are still under wraps.
Storm Reid (“Euphoria“) will take on the role of Riley. Riley is an orphan growing up in post-apocalyptic Boston. The character was first seen in the video game DLC “The Last of Us: Left Behind”. This tells the prequel to the first game.
Nico Parker, best known as Colin Farrell’s daughter in the 2019 live-action adaptation of “Dumbo,” will play Joel’s daughter. Isaac Dixon is a character in “The Last of Us” Part 2. He is the leader of the Washington Liberation Front (WLF) and the second antagonist in the story. It is not yet known who might take over his role.
“Greenleaf” star Merle Dandridge will take on the role of Marlene, the leader of the Fireflies. The Fireflies are an organization that rebels against the military regime. Dandridge had already voiced the role of Marlene in the video games.
Gabriel Luna will play Joel’s younger brother Tommy, a soldier who has not yet lost his sense of idealism and hopes for a better world. Jeffrey Pierce, who voices Tommy in the video games, also stars in the series as Perry, a rebel in the quarantine zone.
Murray Bartlett and Con O’Neill play the roles of Frank and Bill in “The Last of Us.” These roles are part of Marlene’s rebel group in the video games. It is implied that the two have a love affair.
In the video games, the role of Tess is of great importance. She has a shared past with main character Joel. In the series, Tess will be a recurring role played by “Fringe – Borderline Cases of the FBI” and “Mindhunter” star Anna Torv.
The actor revealed by Bartlett, probably not entirely voluntarily, is Nick Offerman (“Fargo”). In an interview with The Guardian, the actor revealed the previously unknown name: “It’s going to be an epic series – but wonderfully human and intimate. We shot it in Calgary. Many of my scenes I played together with Nick Offerman. Shooting with him was great.”
However, no role name was mentioned. The official Twitter account also reacted to the revelation. Many fans would like to see Offerman in the role of Bill, which has already been given away. But will Con O’Neill really be seen as Bill, the tweet questions. Or is it all just a big red herring?
The Last of Us: Production
For the series, the creators are turning an entire city into a set, according to a tweet. Starting November 15, Canmore, Alberta (Canada) will transform into Jackson, Wyoming.
Jackson is one of the last locations in The Last of Us to manage to keep the apocalyptic virus at bay, with Joel’s brother Tommy and his wife Maria acting as community leaders.
The series is a co-production of Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint and Naughty Dog. Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann and “Chernobyl” creator Craig Mazin are writers and executive producers of the series.
Also serving as executive producer will be Carolyn Strauss (“Game of Thrones”), Naughty Dog president Evan Wells, and PlayStation Productions’ Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan. Musician Gustavo Santaolalla, who has already composed the music for the video game series, is also part of the project.
Kantemir Balagov (“Beanpole”), Ali Abbasi (“Border”), Peter Hoar (“Marvel’s The Defenders”) and Jasmila Zbanic (“Quo Vadis,” “Aida?”) are directing. Now “The Last of Us” is getting top-notch support with director Liza Johnson (“What We Do in the Shadows,” “The Sex Lives of College Girls”) and director Jeremy Webb (“The Punisher,” “The Umbrella Academy“).
Season 1 consists of 9 episodes. One episode costs $10 million, making a total budget of $100 million for Season 1. This makes “the Last of Us” one of the most expensive series of all time, as Collider magazine writes.
