HBO is adapting Sony’s post-apocalyptic The Last of Us video game series for TV, and it’s found a very qualified director.
The Last of Us, Sony’s wildly popular video game saga set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, is one step closer to making the jump to television, as HBO has tapped Beanpole director Kantemir Balagov to direct the pilot episode, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Last of Us is set 20 years into a post-apocalyptic world where a mutant fungus turned the vast majority of people in the United States into shambling horrors known as the Infected. As zombies ravage the landscape, the survivors deal with the fallout of having to survive in an uncertain world.
As with many shows and movies set in post-apocalyptic environments, there’s a point when the biggest threat isn’t the zombies, it’s other people. That’s where The Last of Us excels, delivering a gritty and visceral about people trying to survive.
Balagov is a great choice to direct the pilot. Like The Last of Us, Beanpole highlights the challenges of dealing with situations far outside of what normal people are used to dealing with. And rest of the production team is also very impressive. The pilot is written and produced by Craig Mazin, who was responsible for HBO’s hit limited series Chernobyl. Neil Druckmann, who directed the original game, will also work on it.
There’s nothing new about video games making the jump to television and movies, but The Last of Us is special because there’s already a very well established audience for the show, between the game’s loyal fans, zombie fans (with an eye to the legions of The Walking Dead fans) and fans of post-apocalyptic shows like The Stand, The 100 and War of the Worlds.
Given the excitement and massive support system behind the project, there’s every reason to believe that HBO will move quickly to bring the series to life. And that’s a good thing, because fans have been waiting for The Last of Us to be adapted into a live-action series for a long time.
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h/t The A.V. Club