In conversation with meetingHBO exec Francesca Orsi recalled her reaction when The last of us Series creator Craig Mazin first introduced them to the project. She revealed that Mazin didn’t originally present it as a big zombie show, instead emphasizing the project’s exploration of family and the relationship between Joel and Ellie.
“Craig wasn’t in the lead with that. While there is a huge entertainment factor associated with the zombie character of the series and its story, it really focused on the type of love story, the relationship between Pedro Pascal’s character and Bella Ramsay’s character, Joel and Ellie, and the exploration of family And her journeys I think what touched us most was the surrogate daughter that Ellie becomes for Joel in light of the tragic death of his biological daughter,” Orsi said. “And it was the deep, deeper exploration of love and family that he aspired to that made us all want to get involved.”
The pre-production of The Last of Us Season 2 has been impacted by the ongoing WGA strike as recent casting auditions have been temporarily halted. It’s currently unclear if this would also delay HBO’s scheduled release date for the highly anticipated return of the hit horror drama.
Who is the cast of The Last of Us series?
The Last of Us currently stars Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy Miller and Rutina Wesley as Maria. Season 1 also starred Nico Parker, Anna Torv, Melanie Lynskey, Murray Bartlett, Nick Offerman and Storm Reid. It also included guest appearances by original video game actors Jeffrey Pierce, Merle Dandridge, Troy Baker, and Ashley Johnson as new characters.
The series is executive produced and co-written by Craig Mazin, creator of Chernobyl, and Neil Druckmann, writer of the original game, who also serves as one of the directors. It is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television in association with PlayStation Productions. Executive Producers are Carolyn Strauss, Naughty Dog President Evan Wells, and PlayStation Productions Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan.
“The live-action series is set 20 years after the destruction of modern civilization,” reads the synopsis. “Joel and Ellie, a couple bound by the harshness of the world they live in, must endure brutal circumstances and ruthless killers on a journey through a post-pandemic America.”
Season 1 is available to stream now on HBO Max.