Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey debut as protagonists Joel and Ellie in the first official photo from HBO’s upcoming television adaptation of the critically-acclaimed PlayStation game The Last of Us.
Pascal himself shared the photo on Twitter. It sees the characters of Joel and Ellie with their backs to the camera as they look at the remains of a crashed airplane. The photo comes on the day of Sept. 26, also known as “Outbreak Day.” In the Last of Us universe, Sept. 26, 2013 was the day the Cordyceps brain infection reached critical mass. “‘I got you, baby girl.’ The [HBO] adaptation of [The Last of Us] is in production,” Pascal wrote.
Developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, The Last of Us launched exclusively on the PlayStation 3 on June 14, 2013, with a PlayStation 4 version arriving in 2014. Naughty Dog later developed a sequel, The Last of Us Part II, which was published by Sony Interactive Entertainment and released for the PS4 on June 19, 2020.
In March 2020, it was reported that HBO was developing a TV adaptation of The Last of Us. The series is developed and written by the duo of Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann, the latter of whom wrote and co-directed the first Last of Us game, as well as co-wrote and co-directed the sequel. Druckmann served as creative director on both titles. Season 1 of the HBO series is said to adapt the plot of the first game.
This past February, Pascal (The Mandalorian) and Ramsey (Game of Thrones) were cast in the lead roles of Joel and Ellie, respectively. Pascal and Ramsey are joined by fellow main cast member Gabriel Luna (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), who plays the character of Tommy.
The cast of HBO’s The Last of Us also includes Merle Dandridge, who reprises her role as Marlene from the video games. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Pierce, who played Tommy in the games, will appear in the show as an original character named Perry. Additionally, Anna Torv plays Tess, Nico Parker plays Sarah, Murray Bartlett plays Frank and Con O’Neill plays Bill. Video game characters Riley and Maria will also appear, though casting information for them is not available at this time.
Production on the pilot episode of The Last of Us wrapped late last month. Production on the series is expected to wrap in June 2022. Season 1 is expected to debut on HBO sometime that same year, though does not currently have an official premiere date.
Source: Twitter
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