Cast, characters & director
Home Box Office announced that they were taking the project ahead. Director Johan Renck (Breaking Bad, Chernobyl), was supposed to direct the pilot episode but due to scheduling issues, it wasn’t possible.
Now the pilot episode will be directed by Russian filmmaker Kantermir Balagov (Beanpole). Ali Abbasi (Border) and Jasmila Zbanic (Quo Vadis, Aida?) have also been tapped to direct episodes in the premiere season.
Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann is expected to write some episodes.
As for the cast that will grace the screen in the Last of Us: Pedro Pascal (The Mandolorian) will play Joel. Ellie will be played by Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones). Merle Dandridge (The Flight Attentant) will play Marlene, and Gabriel Luna (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) will play Tommy.
Gustavo Santaolalla will create some music for the show who also scored both Last of Us games. Executive producers include Asad Qizilbash (Uncharted), Rose Lam (Altered Carbon), PlayStation Productions’ Carter Swan, Naughty Dog President Evan Wells, and Carolyn Strauss (Game of Thrones,Chernobyl).
Release date and episode number
As of now, the makers haven’t announced any release date for the show, now that the casting is confirmed, we can expect a release date of 2022 or even 2023.
An Instagram post from Gabriel Luna on July 2, 2021, showed the cast together, presumably on the set of The Last of Us. That means the show has at least started preliminary shooting.
The Last of Us TV show is expected to premiere with a 10-episode order for Season 1.
The Last of Us budget
While the exact number isn’t known, reports have suggested that HBO are ready to shell out more money per episode on The Last of Us than they did on Game of Thrones.
A CTV News interview with International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees 212 (IATSE 212) union president Damian Petti, who’s working with the production on the Last of Us, gave us an idea of HBO’s budget.
“I cannot confirm the official budget numbers but will say it is likely the largest project shooting in Canada,” Petti said. “This project well exceeds the eight figure per episode mark,” he said, “so there is a multiplier effect on our economy in terms of its impact.”
HBO famously spent upwards of $6 million USD per episode for the first season of Game of Thrones, with that cost rapidly shooting up to $10 million to $15 million in the later seasons.
The Last of Us Season 1 is reportedly starting with an eight-figure budget per episode, and it’ll be interesting to see how it progresses with any future season orders.
The plot
The Hollywood Reporter reported the series shall cover the events from the first game, with the “possibility” of it delving into Part II in the future.
While speaking to GameSpot, Troy Baker, Joel’s voice actor, claimed that the show could have “three to four” seasons to match the pace of the game.
