HBO’s hotly-anticipated video game adaptationThe Last of Ushas been announced to be starting production this coming July in Calgary, as per the Director’s Guild of Canada (viaCBC). It’s going to be a long shoot, too. Cameras are set to start rolling on July 5 of this year and are scheduled to wrap almost a year later on August 14, 2025. That’s a lengthy schedule for an episodic TV series and just goes to show that HBO is pulling out all of the stops to ensure thatThe Last of Uswill be appointment viewing when it eventually premieres —which might not be until mid-2023 based on that filming schedule.
ChernobylcreatorCraigMazin, who’s becoming something of a go-to guy for the video game genre (he’s penned the screenplay forEli Roth’s star-studdedBorderlands), is set to write and executive produce alongside Neil Druckmann, who directed the console favorite. The pilot will behelmed byBeanpoledirectorKantemirBalagov, who replacedChernobyl’sJohanRenckbehind the camera.PedroPascalhas signed on to play Joel and fellowGame of ThronesalumBella Ramsey on board as Ellie.
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The Last of Ustakes place in a post-apocalyptic world 20 years after civilization as we know it has ceased to exist. By all accounts, the series isn’t going to deviate too far from the source material, with Druckmann already confirming that somedialogue from the game will be lifted verbatim. The story follows Pascal’s hardened survivor Joel, who is hired to smuggle his 14-year-old charge, Ellie, out of an oppressive quarantine zone, leading them on a journey across the United States where they’re forced to depend on each other for survival.
Per the CBC’s report, Alberta’s PremierJasonKenneysaid he believesThe Last of Uswill be the largest film or television production in Canadian history, and the project comes armed with big expectations and a huge built-in fanbase. The first game sold close to 20 million copies and is regarded by many as one of the greatest video games ever made, while last year’s sequel shifted over four million copies in its first weekend of release and holds the record for most Games of the Year awards won.
Pascal signed a “first position” dealwhen he joinedThe Last of Us, meaning that it’s taken precedence over his other commitments, the most notable of which isThe Mandalorian’s third season. Now that shooting has been locked in for July, it stands to reason that he’ll have all of his scenes in the can as Din Djarin for the Disney+Star Warsseries before then, with Joel set to be his number one priority for the following 11 months.
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