Naughty Dog Boss Finishes Filming The Last Of Us
The Clickers are clicking their tongues in anticipation, as HBO's Max's The Last of Us series is shuffling toward a tentative 2022 release date. Few games have blasted through the cultural zeitgeist quite like Naughty Dog's The Last of Us, so it's safe to say, there's a lot of hype for a live-action series based on 2013's survival horror.
Chernobyl's Craig Mazin is at the helm of The Last of Us, which sees Game of Thrones alumni Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal step up to the plate as Ellie and Joel. The leads will sit alongside returning TLoU voice actors Jeffrey Pierce and Merle Dandridge, while Naughty Dog boss Neil Druckmann will also direct one of the episodes.
What's Going On With The Last Of Us Series?
While filming on The Last of Us has been ongoing in Canada, HBO has largely been keeping things locked down. Despite this, a few unofficially snippets have been making their way out - including a first real look at Ellie and Joel, as well as the Cordyceps infection. Posting on Twitter, Druckmann confirms he's wrapped filming on his episode and is leaving Canada.
Druckmann's clapper board doesn't reveal what episode he directed, however, it's possible he's been in charge of an earlier adventure. From what we've seen so far, it's mainly been Ellie, Joel, and Anna Torv's Tess. Following the games, it's likely they're heading to the Capitol Building in Boston - with Canada serving as a substitute for filming.
The big takeaway from this news is the fact Druckmann is leaving the set. Considering he's been heavily involved in the writing and production of the show's pilot season, the fact he's off suggests we might be closer to the end than first thought. The Last of Us was expected to have a lengthy production period, but could we actually be ahead of schedule?
What Is The Last Of Us Release Date?
At the time of writing, Mazin and HBO have refused to give The Last of Us an official release. The closest we've got comes from the Instagram bio of director Kantemir Balagov's Instagram. Balagov is The Last of Us' showrunner, and with his bio listing "2022" next to the show's name, there might not be long to wait.
With The Last of Us hopefully being a faithful retelling of the games, and with Druckmann's heavy involvement, there are already whispers we'll get a multi-season order akin to other HBO goliaths like Game of Thrones and The Sopranos. Of course, we'll have to see how well the 10-episode pilot season does before emotionally preparing for THAT live-action round of golf from The Last of Us Part 2.