Aside from its striking vision of a post-apocalyptic future, The Last of Us largely became a hit in 2013 thanks to the standout motion-capture performances of Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson as the game’s protagonists, Joel and Ellie. So naturally, there’s a healthy amount of skepticism over whether Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey can successfully fill their shoes when HBO airs its long-awaited TV adaptation. But perhaps fans can rest easy knowing the series has Baker and Johnson’s blessings. In fact, they will even appear onscreen as new characters when the show debuts next year.
News of Baker and Johnson’s Last of Us involvement was shared during today’s Summer Game Fest event (via Collider), when Naughty Dog Co-President Neil Druckmann (who is also writing and executive producing the TV series with Craig Mazin) brought both performers onstage to make it official. Druckmann didn’t reveal who Baker and Johnson are playing on the show. Regardless, they won’t be the first actors from a Naughty Dog game to show up in the live-action realm. Earlier this year, original Nathan Drake actor Nolan North made a brief appearance in Sony’s Uncharted adaptation. But hopefully, The Last of Us will have better luck with critics.
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This wasn’t the only major Last of Us news to come out of Summer Game Fest. Naughty Dog later confirmed that a remake of the original game (now called The Last of Us Part I) will hit the PlayStation 5 on September 2 and is also in development for the PC. Additionally, the studio released a new trailer highlighting the improved graphics and character designs. But that’s not all. Druckmann was even kind enough to reveal our first proper glimpse at Pascal and Ramsey as Joel and Ellie. It’s hard to tell where they are, but just like the game, it looks like the TV show will feature a lot of crouching and hiding behind objects. You can check out the new image below.
The Last of Us will premiere on HBO sometime in 2023.
What do you think of the new image from the series? Do you have any theories about who Baker and Johnson might play? Let us know in the comments down below!
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