Though initially setting Johan Renck to helm the pilot, marking a reunion between the Chernobyl director and creator Craig Mazin, HBO has tapped Kantemir Balagov (Beanpole) to helm the first episode of The Last of Us series adaptation as Renck has exited due to a scheduling conflict, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Kantemir is a brilliant director who shares our love for Joel and Ellie’s journey. Stoked that he’s joining the TloU family. https://t.co/TKJbUaff1f
— Dr. Uckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) January 15, 2021
The Last of Us is an action-adventure survival horror video game that is played from a third-person perspective. It was developed by the Santa Monica-based video game developer Naughty Dog, who is also best known for creating the Uncharted games. It was first launched in 2013 for PlayStation 3 and in 2014 for PlayStation 4 where it immediately garnered critical acclaim for its narrative, gameplay, visuals, sound design, and characters.
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The game follows hardened survivor Joel and Ellie, a young and capable girl, on their journey through a radically transformed world. Set twenty years after an infectious pandemic spread by the cordyceps virus ravaged the course of humanity, these two people, who were brought together by chance, must make life-altering decisions in order to survive. The Last of Us explores themes of survival, loyalty, love, and redemption in an emotionally charged expedition across the post-epidemic United States.
Due to its immense popularity, The Last of Us has sold over 17 million copies and had successfully won numerous awards including multiple Game of the Year awards. Nearly 7 years since its launch, the video game is currently being recognized as one of the greatest video games ever made.
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The Last of Us series adaptation will be tackling the events of the first game with the possibility of additional content based on the upcoming video game sequel. It will be co-written by Chernobyl creator Mazin and Druckmann, who is the game’s writer and creative director. Mazin will executive produce along with Carolyn Strauss, Naughty Dog president Evan Wells and PlayStation Productions’ Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan. The project is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television in association with PlayStation Productions.
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