The Last of Us TV Show Finds Its Directors

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The Last of Us TV Show Finds Its Directors

HBO's The Last of Us show has found its directors.

The series stars Game of Thrones alum, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, as its two leads, Joel and Ellie, and will adapt the popular post-apocalyptic video game series of the same name from Naughty Dog and Sony. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actor, Gabriel Luna, will also star as Joel's brother Tommy. Craig Mazin, creator of the hit miniseries, Chernobyl, will act as showrunner while Neil Druckmann, a writer and creative director for The Last of Us games, will also have a seat at the table.

The Last of Us takes place 20 years into a post-apocalyptic scenario in which an outbreak of the Cordyceps Brain Infection, a mutated strand of fungus, has been turning humans into mindless and aggressive zombie-like creatures. The series finds Joel as a hardened survivor who is tasked with sneaking Ellie out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What was originally supposed to be a one-off job for Joel becomes a grueling and emotional journey as the two survivors trek across a post apocalyptic wasteland, slowly bonding as they depend on one another for survival.

Now, per Variety, The Last of Us series adaptation has found its directors in Jasmila Žbanić and Ali Abbasi. It was previously announced that Russian filmmaker, Kantemir Balagov, would direct the pilot episode and Chernobyl director, Johan Renck will likely come aboard as well. Showrunner, Craig Mazin, who has limited experience behind the camera, may also step into to direct an episode or two.

While it is still unknown what directors will be helming each episode, or how many episodes there will even be, The Last of Us is assembling a talented, albeit relatively unknown, team of directors to match its star-studded cast. A Bosnian director, Jasmila Žbanić's latest film, Quo vadis Aida, is up for Best International Feature Film at this year's Academy Awards. Iranian director Ali Abbasi's film, Border, was a hit at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

HBO bringing on talents such as Mazin, Balagov, and these two new directors, who are known for gloomy and gut-wrenching projects like Chernobyl, is a huge indication they intend to embrace the bleakness of the source material. It also indicates HBO is aiming for something a little higher than a typical video game adaptation. Be on the look out for more updates regarding The Last of Us as it is expected to begin filming this summer.