Tag: neil druckmann

The Last of Us Season 2 Casts Kaitlyn Dever as Abby

The Last of Us season 2 has found its Abby in Kaitlyn Dever, confirming previous reports. In a tweet, HBO confirmed that the Booksmart star will be playing the second protagonist — some prefer seeing her as a villain — in the post-apocalyptic series, posing a new challenge to Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey). Interestingly, Dever had a prior connection to the show when fans lobbied the studio to cast her as the 13-year-old Ellie, due to her facial resemblance to the in-game character and her involvement in the Uncharted 4 game — also from developer Naughty Dog. However, co-creator Neil Druckmann and the team opted for a younger actor in Ramsey, who in my opinion, nailed the role.

“Our casting process for season two has been identical to season one: we look for world-class actors who embody the souls of the characters in the source material,” Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin said in a prepared statement (via Variety). “Nothing matters more than talent, and we’re thrilled to have an acclaimed performer like Kaitlyn join Pedro, Bella and the rest of our family.” Abby Anderson is a very divisive character in the Last of Us universe, drawing hatred from a section of fans due to her actions in The Last of Us Part II and her muscular build, which sparked a spate of body-shaming comments. The outrage went so far that Laura Bailey, the voice actor who helmed Abby, received death threats for her role. With the backlash to the game and the character in mind, one can only hope that Dever doesn’t have to deal with similar hateful comments if and when the Abby discourse is brought up again.

The Last of Us Season 1 Review

Dever previously received praise for her performances in the Emmy-nominated Dopesick and the Hulu alien invasion movie No One Will Save You, in which she played a silent protagonist for the most part. In The Last of Us season 2, which adapts the events from the gory and polarising sequel The Last of Us Part 2, she’ll have a pivotal scene with Pedro Pascal’s Joel that leaves a lasting impact on the story. Pacal, meanwhile, has got Ridley Scott’s Gladiator sequel on top of his priority list; every other production will have to work around that schedule. This could also be attributed to the likely lesser screen time for the actor in the second season, where the focus is on the revenge arc between Ellie and Abby — the game intercut between the two characters to offer differing perspectives as they often trod the same paths.

Filming on The Last of Us season 2 was delayed due to the Hollywood actors’ and writers’ strike last year. The new season was greenlit merely two episodes into the debut chapter, and given the length and the ambitious scope of the video game sequel, the studio has enough material to adapt for multiple seasons. That’s what Mazin and Druckmann plan on doing with the story, having mapped out the entire affair with a slew of planned new characters in the mix. Last week, The Last of Us season 1 bagged eight awards at the Creative Arts Emmys, including an Outstanding Guest Actress award for Storm Reid and Outstanding Best Actor for Nick Offerman, who appeared in episode 3.

The Last of Us season 2 is set to begin filming in the American Spring and premieres sometime in 2025 on HBO.

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The Last of Us Season 2 Will Reportedly Begin Filming in January 2024

The Last of Us season 2 will reportedly begin filming in early 2024. As per the FTIA production list, the second chapter is slated to shoot from January 7, 2024, onwards. The shooting schedule was delayed due to the Hollywood actors’ and writers’ strikes — both of which have ended now. Considering the show was not mentioned in HBO’s 2024 slate, we can assume it will be out sometime in 2025 at the soonest. This is a bit off course from what lead Bella Ramsey — who played Ellie in season 1 — suggested, at a time when there were murmurs of a potential strike. It goes without saying that the series will adapt the events from the gory and polarising sequel, The Last of Us Part II, with plans for the arc from the video game to play out for longer than a season.

It didn’t take long for HBO to greenlight The Last of Us season 2, with the announcement dropping merely 2 episodes into the debut chapter. There’s clearly a large fanbase for it and given the length and the ambitious scope of the sequel game, the studio has enough material to adapt for multiple seasons. Lead writer Craig Mazin confirmed in an interview that the team had mapped out ‘all of season 2,’ in addition to sending in the episode 1 script to HBO just before the writers’ strike began. He helmed the show with Neil Druckmann, creator of the original 2013 game, who claimed that he had no plans of recasting Ramsey since he found her portrayal of Ellie to be the ideal one. The Last of Us Part II is a longer story that explores cyclical violence, futility of revenge, and forgiveness even when consumed by relentless rage.

Think of the Kansas City arc from The Last of Us season 1 but on a broader scale with no time to breathe. “There are going to be things that are going to be different, and there are things that are going to be identical. There are things that are going to be added and enriched,” Mazin said in an interview, further hinting that we might get to see more action-oriented scenes with fungus-crazed zombies in the upcoming sequel.

A report from earlier this month suggested that leading man Pedro Pascal — who played Joel — has got Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 as his top priority project, indicating that all other productions will have to work around that schedule. Any delays to that film could subsequently cause issues with filming The Last of Us season 2 — it’s not like The Mandalorian, where he can simply send in voiceovers while the physical performance can be taken over by someone else.

The Last of Us Part II also introduced a buff new character named Abby Anderson, who served as the antagonist for the game. Understandably, Mazin, Druckmann, and HBO have been hunting for an actress to portray the same, with an undisclosed pick made sometime in August. An InSneider report now claims that HBO is in talks with Kaitlyn Dever, best known for Booksmart and No One Will Save You, for the role. Earlier this week, The Last of Us season 1 was nominated for Best Adaptation in The Game Awards 2023, in addition to 24 Emmy nods, earlier this year.

Currently, there’s no release window for The Last of Us season 2.

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Naughty Dog Has Reportedly Laid Off 25 Employees, The Last of Us Multiplayer Game Is ‘On Ice’

The Last of Us maker Naughty Dog is reportedly among the latest game studios to be hit with layoffs. As per Kotaku, the first-party PlayStation studio is cutting off at least 25 developers, with the most affected members being quality assurance (QA) testers, whose contracts have been shortened. Affected workers are expected to continue working until the end of October, and they allegedly won’t be receiving any severance payments. Turns out, the full-time staff — last recorded headcount being 400+ in July — are not being laid off, with employees in general being ‘pressured’ to keep the news internal.

While 2023 has been an incredible year for games, the people making them have been suffering for some time now. Massive layoffs, high-ranking executives leaving, and studio shutdowns like we saw with Volition, thanks to the poorly received Saints Row reboot It seems like all it takes for investors to pull the plug now is one bad-selling game, though it’s bizarre to see uber-successful studios like Naughty Dog suffering the same fate. The team kicked off the year on a great note with HBO’s live-action adaptation of The Last of Us, which has now earned 24 nominations at the upcomingEmmy Awards. It’s also weird when you think about Naughty Dog’s prestigious position in Sony’s eyes, with co-President Neil Druckmann claiming that the team has the luxury of creating what it’s passionate about, rather than chasing trends.

Kotaku also touched upon the long-gestating The Last of Us multiplayer spin-off title, noting that the game is ‘ basically on ice’ at the moment. A report from May revealed that development on the game had been scaled back and required more time to cook, as a means to ‘reassess its quality and long-term viability.’ As part of the process, several developers were reallocated to other projects and Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) invited Halo and Destiny creator Bungie to evaluate the zombie-killing multiplayer experience. At the end of the testing, Bungie was unimpressed, raising concerns about the project’s ability to maintain an online player base for long periods, thereby leading to the internal shake-up. For now, though, the San Francisco-set spin-off isn’t cancelled.

It is worth mentioning that the TLOU multiplayer experience would also be the first to not include Druckmann as a lead writer or director. By the end of 2023, he might also be the only one left to lead Naughty Dog, given co-President Evan Wells has chosen to retire after a 25-year stint at the company. Its latest release was in March — the PC port of The Last of Us Part I, which was received poorly due to performance issues. Then there’s also an untitled ‘brand-new single-player’ game that the studio has got cooking, which many are hoping is The Last of Us Part III. An Uncharted sequel is unlikely since Druckmann already confirmed that the team is moving on from that franchise.

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What Time is ‘The Last of Us’ Episode 3 Premiere on HBO and HBO Max?

For two weeks now, The Last of Us has reveled in the misery of the Cordyceps brain infection. But what if the end of the world also left some room for joy? That’s the argument “Long Long Time” makes, Nick Offerman’s standout episode.

It’s an hour of television you won’t want to miss. Wondering how you can watch The Last of Us Episode 3? We have you covered.

When Does The Last of Us Episode 3 Come Out on HBO and HBO Max?

The second episode of The Last of Us premieres on HBO and HBO Max Sunday, January 29. Titled “Long Long Time,” this one revolves all round Bill (Nick Offerman) a survivalist who helps Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in the game.

What Time is The Last of Us Episode 3 Premiere on HBO and HBO Max?

You’re in for a late night. Episode 3 premieres on both HBO and HBO Max Sunday, January 29 at 9/8c p.m.

How to Watch The Last of Us on HBO and HBO Max

If you subscribe to HBO through cable, just make sure your TV is set to HBO this Sunday, January 29 at 9/8c p.m. There’s even a way to watch if you’re going to be away from your TV. You can use your cable username and password to log into HBO Max, which will let you to watch The Last of Us on most devices.

Speaking of HBO Max, this week’s episode will premiere on the same day and at the same time on the streaming service. If you don’t see Episode 3 right away, refresh your HBO Max app. Sometimes it takes a couple of minutes for new episodes to become available.

Is There a Trailer for The Last of Us Episode 3?

There certainly is, and it’s all about Bill. A survivalist who managed to wait out the brunt of the apocalypse in his bunker, Bill used the end of the world to turn his hometown into his own personal oasis. But what is survival worth when you’re alone? Be on the ookout for Murray Bartlett’s performance as Frank.



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Naughty Dog Has Moved on From Uncharted, Co-President Neil Druckmann Confirms

Developer Naughty Dog seems to be done with Uncharted. That’s according to its co-President Neil Druckmann, who confirmed in a Buzzfeed interview, that having put their “final brushstroke” on the story with the insanely popular Uncharted 4, the team is ready to move on. That fate could also befall The Last of Us franchise if the company decides not to proceed with a third mainline entry. Druckmann praises his publisher Sony for not forcing them to churn out a sequel and is okay with finishing the story with the “very strong ending,” as seen in The Last of Us Part II.

“[Sony] have supported us every step of the way to follow our passions — meaning that just because something is successful, people think there’s all this pressure and we have to make a sequel. That’s not the case,” Druckmann explained in the interview. “For us, Uncharted was insanely successful — Uncharted 4 was one of our best-selling games — and we’re able to put our final brushstroke on that story and say that we’re done. We’re moving on.” That said, he wasn’t fully clear on whether he was referring to solely the series stalwart Nathan Drake’s story, or the franchise as a whole. Naughty Dog last ported Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection to PC, which included the aforementioned mainline Uncharted 4 and the spin-off title focused on Chloe Frazer, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. The former sold over 15 million copies on the PS4, making it the highest-selling Uncharted title in the franchise.

Druckmann also weighed in on a potential The Last of Us Part 3, claiming that for now, the studio is mainly focusing on their sights on the untitled The Last of Us standalone multiplayer experience, revealed at Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest, last year. “We’ve been pretty open that the next Last of Us game is going to be this multiplayer experience, where you’ll be able to enter the world of The Last of Us with your friend and get to experience the tension and the brutality of that world — and a brand new story and cast of characters that live in another city that we haven’t seen yet in the world of The Last of Us,” he said. The Last of Us Part 3, however, isn’t on the priority list, and the studio has zero pressure on deciding what to do with the story.

Earlier this month, Druckmann claimed that he was intrigued by the minimalist storytelling in FromSoftware’s award-winning magnum opus, Elden Ring. Going forward, he plans on experimenting with this style — a far cry from PlayStation’s first-party entries, which mainly rely on cinematics for storytelling. “To me, right now, that’s some of the best joy I get out of games that trust their audience to figure things out,” he told The Washington Post. “[Games] that don’t hold your hand, that’s the stuff I’m really intrigued by going forward.”

The Last of Us is currently in the spotlight, thanks to the successful launch of its live-action adaptation for HBO, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in the lead roles. Even Uncharted received a Tom Holland-led live-action film earlier this year, which despite failing on a critical level, managed a good box office collection. The film grossed a worldwide total of $401.7 million (about Rs. 3,277 crore).

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