HBO Adds New Directors to The Last of Us Adaptation

HBO’s video game adaptation of Sony Computer Entertainment game The Last of Us, starring Game of Thrones alums Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, has just hired two new behind-the-scenes creatives.

Variety reports Jasmila Zbanic (Quo Vadis, Aida) and Ali Abbasi (Border) will be directing episodes for the show. They are joining Russian director Kantemir Balagov (Beanpole), who is directing the show’s first episode. The network decided to take a different approach by hiring individuals who aren’t well known in Hollywood and giving them leeway to create art.

It was announced last fall that Craig Mazin and Neil Druckman, creators of the Emmy award-winning HBO show Chernobyl are working on the script for the show. Despite them being some of television’s best storytellers, expectations are high for the show. Since the video game debuted in 2013, the game is beloved by millions of fans worldwide not only for its player interface but also for its likable characters and cinematic storytelling.

The Last of Us will follow two people, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), after an extinction-level event and civilization is destroyed. A mutated strain of the Cordyceps Fungus (parasitic “zombie” fungus) turns humans and animals into cannibalistic killers called the infected. Joel is a smuggler hired to move Elle out of a quarantine zone because she might be the cure for this infectious disease. They travel across the U.S., dodging the infected and mercenaries. What starts as just a job for Joel transforms into a makeshift family unit committed to protecting one another.

Video game adaptations have a track record of being terrible. However, with a great team on board, maybe there is some hope for this project. Keep your fingers crossed!

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