According to a report from Deadline, HBO’s adaptation of The Last Of Us will not premiere until 2023 at the earliest. The series, developed by game creator Neil Druckmann in partnership with Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin, had been strongly linked with a 2022 release window following social media posts from lead star Bella Ramsey and the series pilot director, Kantemir Balagov. Casey Bloys, the Chief Content Officer at HBO Max confirmed that the series would not air this year while shooting continues in Canada. “I imagine you will see it in ’23,” Bloys says.
While this can be seen as disappointing news in the eyes of some, Bloys did provide an update on the production. “I have seen some early episodes and I’m very excited,” Bloys adds. “Craig did Chernobyl for us, he is a fantastic writer and director. What I’ve seen looks amazing, so I’m excited for it, but it will not be in ’22.”
The Last of Us began filming in Calgary, Canada on July 5, 2021, with an extensive shoot expected to last until June 8, 2022. The scale of the shoot was described by Alberta’s Premier Jason Kenney as “the largest ever, I believe, film or television production in Canadian history.”
The Last of Us will star former Game Of Thrones stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie respectively. In supporting roles, Merle Dandridge returns as Marlene, (having lent her voice in the game), as well as Anna Torv, (Tess), Nico Parker, (Sarah), Gabriel Luna, (Tommy), Nick Offerman, (Bill), and most recently, Euphoria’s Storm Reid as Riley, a character from the game’s DLC, Left Behind.
Last year, Craig Mazin revealed his fears of “anger and judgements” from fans on adapting The Last Of Us for TV. “The video game community is not shy. They love and hate in equal parts and with equal abandon. The love part is the wonderful part.” Mazin said.
