Whilst the “Uncharted” film has been enough of a financial and audience success to be a good kick start for the PlayStation Productions label, the lack of any critical love is something their next effort – HBO’s “The Last of Us” series – will hope to avoid.
The project has been shooting since mid-2021 and is nearing the finishing line. One of the show’s key stars, actor Pedro Pascal, recently spoke with GQ about the experience and revealed he didn’t really play the game much before getting to work as the lead male character of Joel:
“I haven’t any skill. I tried, you know. And then it was only a matter of minutes before I had to hand it over to my nephew. It really takes a specific kind of skill, and I don’t have it. I watched for as long as I was able to that day, and then I had to leave Florida.
I found Joel so impressive – I found the whole of it such a visually impressive experience. And then I got worried that I would want to imitate too much, which I think could be right in some circumstances, and then a mistake in others. So I just wanted to create a healthy distance, and for that to be more in the hands of [show co-writer] Craig Mazin and [game writer and show co-writer] Neil Druckmann.”
Asked about whether the series will stick closely to the depth of characterisation and storytelling seen in the game, he says:
There’s a very, very creative way of honouring what’s important and also preserving what is iconic to the experience of the video game, and also [to include] things that you wouldn’t necessarily expect. And then directions that you would expect it to go, and it might not… they’re doing some really smart things, is all I can say.
It’s similar to the way Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni treat The Mandalorian, in how [Mazin and Druckmann] are treating The Last of Us — it’s in good hands because they love it so much. Well, clearly Neil created the video game, but Craig loves it so much. So it really is made for the people that love it. And there’s some very intense storytelling for people who might be less familiar.”
The actor is currently out promoting his involvement in the meta-Nic Cage film “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” which opens in cinemas on Friday. “The Last Of Us” series has no announced release date at this time.
