Looking pretty good! It’s clear HBO is sparing now expense for this series, with its Canadian shooting locations standing in fairly well for Boston and the other places Joel and Ellie visit. As for the casting, Pedro Pascal absolutely looks the part as Joel. I’m less convinced about Bella Ramsey, but it’s the acting that counts, so we’ll see how she stacks up there. Haven’t been keeping up with The Last of Us HBO series? As mentioned, the show is being headed up by Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin (Chernobyl). Here’s the official description… “The Last of Us series takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival. Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian, Wonder Woman 1984) and Bella Ramsey (HBO’s His Dark Materials and Game of Thrones) will star as Joel and Ellie. Also joining the cast are Gabriel Luna (True Detective) as Joel’s younger brother Tommy, Merle Dandridge (The Last of Us video games, The Flight Attendant) as resistance leader Marlene; and Anna Torv (Fringe) as Tess, a smuggler and fellow hardened survivor. The series will guest star Nico Parker (The Third Day) as Sarah, Joel’s 14-year old daughter; Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus) and Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) as Frank and Bill, two post-pandemic survivalists living alone in their own isolated town; Storm Reid (Euphoria) as Riley, an orphan in Boston; and Jeffrey Pierce (The Last of Us video games) as Perry, a rebel in a quarantine zone. Lamar Johnson guest stars as Henry and Keivonn Woodard as Sam, brothers in Kansas City hiding from a revolutionary movement seeking vengeance. Graham Greene guest stars as Marlon and Elaine Miles as Florence, a married couple surviving alone in the wilderness of post-apocalyptic Wyoming.” The Last of Us will premiere on HBO and HBO Max in early 2023.
