Televisual Violence
It appears that shooting has wrapped on HBO’s upcoming TV adaptation of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us. Cameras stopped rolling on the award-winning doom ‘n’ gloom franchise last week, long ahead of its small-screen premiere.
“Alas… my time in Canada has come to an end,” said Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann on Twitter. “To the best TV crew in the world, thank you for your incredible work, your passion, and for making me feel so welcome! I will miss you terribly! Excited to return to Naughty Dog (and some warmer weather!).”
Druckmann, who serves as the lead writer for both The Last of Us and Uncharted video games, will also serve as writer, director, and executive producer on The Last of Us TV show, so fans can be assured that the narrative, dialogue, and overall atmosphere will be a snug match to that of the 2013 third-person adventure and its — somehow even grimmer — 2020 sequel. While not Druckmann’s first rodeo in the realm of television, it is certainly his most ambitious gig to date.
The Last of Us, which began shooting in Alberta, Canada earlier this year, will see The Mandalorian‘s Pedro Pascal and Game of Thrones‘ Bella Ramsey take up the coveted roles of protagonists Joel and Ellie, as the duo battle to thrive — or at the very least survive — a post-apocalyptic United States, overrun with a terrifying parasitic virus and populated with homicidal mutants and equally dangerous bands of human beings. Early production stills show that the adaptation is going to great lengths to appear faithful to the video games’ source materials.
The Last of Us is tentatively scheduled to premiere on HBO in 2022.
Alas… my time in Canada has come to an end. To the best tv crew in the world, thank you for your incredible work, your passion, and for making me feel so welcome! I will miss you terribly!
Excited to return to Naughty Dog (and some warmer weather!) ♥️ ?? pic.twitter.com/A9hsy7gPpA
— Dr. Uckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) November 7, 2021