We just got our latest official look at HBO's The Last Of Us series at Summer Game Fest. The image, though, may be the darkest and murkiest image you'll see this side of The Batman. We're hoping the whole episode isn't like that, or that HBO Max has a plan for how to stream it clearly. Oh, and we've just been shown how there's a Clicker hiding in the shadows!
Presented by Neil Druckmann, the co-president of games studio Naughty Dog (which gave us The Last of Us) and also a writer, director and executive producer for the HBO series, the image shows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) crawling around a library — and we're sure danger is right around the next bookcase (more on why below). Check it out for yourself:
Yes, it seems like HBO's gonna have another situation like Game of Thrones' "The Long Night", with some moments so dark you might have trouble seeing what's happening.
But, some context. This is the first official shot from The Last Of Us show that shows Pascal and Ramsey's faces, following a first-look that showed the actors from behind, looking at a crashed plane. Or at least we're supposed to think that's them.
The museum scene that we got a still from today, for those who haven't played (or don't remember) the game, finds Joel and Ellie scavenging and also — more importantly — surviving the 'Clickers,' some of the infected antagonists that litter The Last of Us' world.
And writer/podcaster Matt Fowler's revealed that when you raise the brightness in new image, you can spy a hiding Clicker ready to pounce in the background.
What else we learned about The Last of Us HBO series
Druckmann told Summer Games Show host Geoff Keighley that the production of the series is ending tomorrow (June 10, 2022) and that the series' arrival is "closer than you might think."
But when Druckmann said he was going to bring out two cast members, we were all pleasantly surprised to see The Last of Us game's voice actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson. The two, who voiced Joel and Ellie, respectively, will actually have roles in the upcoming series. Those roles were not announced, though, so we're curious if they'll be on the level of Easter egg cameos, or important roles.
All along, we've penciled in The Last of Us' series for a late 2022 debut, and it also has a budget that puts it above (or on par) with Game of Thrones. That sounds like even if production ends this week, plenty of post-production time is in order to get The Last of Us to HBO and HBO Max.
