The upcoming live-action adaptation of the popular video game franchise The Last of Us remains deep into production, as seen in a leaked video shared online. The TV series, which will air on HBO, is currently filming in the city of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.
Starring Pedro Pascal and Game of Throne's Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us will detail the events of the 2013 original video game, taking place 20 years after society has been nearly wiped out by a deadly fungus that turns people into zombie-like creatures. Like the game, the series follows a toughened smuggler named Joel (Pascal) who is tasked with escorting a 14-year-old girl named Ellie (Ramsey) out of an oppressive quarantine zone and into the headquarters of the Fireflies, a revolutionary militia group that's looking to develop a vaccine for the virus. The journey won't be easy, though, and the pair must rely on each other for survival while fending off spore monsters and hostile humans.
The leaked footage was shared by Reddit user dbaxter1304 on the r/Calgary subreddit earlier this week. The short clip shows Joel and Ellie running through a deserted street, hiding behind abandoned cars and looking over their shoulders for any threats that may be lurking. They are accompanied by two other people, a kid and someone who seems to be a teenager. The group eventually reaches a building and quickly rushes in.
The Last of Us adaptation was first announced in March 2020. In addition to Pascal and Ramsey, the forthcoming series will feature Gabriel Luna as Joel's brother Tommy, Nick Offerman as Bill, Anna Torv as Tess, and Euphoria star Storm Reid as Riley. Merle Dandridge, who voiced Marlene in the video game series, is reprising her role, while Jeffrey Pierce, who voiced Tommy, will be appearing as an original character named Perry.
Although the series has been in development for quite some time, it will not come out this year. HBO Max Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys shared the news while speaking to Deadline in February, telling the outlet, "It’s not going to air in 2022 – they are still shooting in Canada." An official release date has yet to be announced, but Bloys anticipated that The Last of Us will likely debut in 2023.
The first season of The Last of Us will consist of ten episodes written by Craig Mazin and Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann, the latter of whom is the writer and director of the original game. The pair will also serve as executive producers alongside Carolyn Strauss, Rose Lam, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, and Carter Swan.
The Last of Us is expected to be released in 2023.
Source: dbaxter1304/Reddit