HBO's upcoming live-action adaptation of The Last Of Us is attracting some serious talent. We already knew that Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann, who directed the 2013 game on which the series is based was on board. We also knew that he'd be working with Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin to write and executive produce the show.
This, coupled with the fact that Mazin seems to be a massive fan of the game, was taken as a promising sign. Mazin's Chernobyl was fantastic and gritty, and more than enough proof that he's got the chops to handle The Last Of Us alongside Druckmann. Now, it's been confirmed that has enlisted Johan Renck to executive produce direct at least one episode of The Last Of Us.
For those who don't know, Renck worked with Mazin on Chernobyl, directing all five episodes of the critically acclaimed show and earning himself an Emmy in the process. He's also directed episodes of Breaking Bad, Vikings, and The Walking Dead. Like I said, The Last Of Us is attracting some serious talent.
In an interview with Discussing Film, Renck confirmed that he'll be directing "at least" the first episode, implying it's possible he could helm more. In the same interview, Renck touched briefly on how they plan to adapt Ellie and Joel for TV, as well as the struggles of finding a new take on characters we already have such vivid and visual memories of.
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"We're having weekly calls, Craig and I and also Neil [Druckmann] who created the game, about various approaches and how to deal with that," Renck said. "How to deal with the fact that a video game character is way further than a character from a book. But also it's more different to deal with than a real person."
"This is something that we spent a lot of time talking about here and in the early development stages of this process. There are a lot of things to take into consideration and a lot of decisions and choices to be made in various ways without saying anything more about it."
Casting decisions for the show have yet to be announced, but we do know that the fan's top pick for Ellie is Kaitlyn Dever, and that she'd "love" to take on the role. You can also find out dream cast picks right here. Obviously Dever is on there.
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The HBO series isn't expected to enter production until after The Last Of Us Part II launches on June 19th. Speaking of which, you can read our full preview impressions of the upcoming sequel and how it stands apart from the original game here.
Featured Image Credit: Sony
Topics: PlayStation, The Last of Us Part 2, Naughty Dog