Over the past several weeks, HBO has been putting together the cast and crew that will bring the incredibly popular video game franchise, “The Last of Us,” to life. And while video game fans are probably excited just from knowing that the premium network is going to do a big-budget adaptation, film and TV fans that have little interest in the game will be jazzed by the most recent announcement of two directors that will helm episodes of the series.
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According to Variety, filmmakers Jasmila Žbanić and Ali Abbasi will split the directing duties on the forthcoming HBO series, “The Last of Us.” Based on the popular video game franchise, “The Last of Us” follows the story of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsay), two people brought together in a post-apocalypse overrun by infected, zombie-like terrors. The series is written and developed by “Chernobyl” writer, Craig Mazin.
While Žbanić and Abbasi aren’t household names for many film fans, they are two filmmakers that have recently released critically-acclaimed films that have caught the attention of film festivals and cinephiles across the world. Žbanić is probably best known for her most recent feature, “Quo vadis, Aida,” which is nominated for Best International Film at this year’s Oscars and took home the same award at last night’s Spirit Awards. Abbasi won awards and acclaim thanks to his 2018 film, “Border,” which won the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes.
Clearly, with the addition of Žbanić and Abbasi splitting the directorial duties, HBO is really making sure the best possible creators are attached to “The Last of Us.” Video game adaptations have a bad reputation for being terrible, even when they have A-listers and quality filmmakers on board. So, while all signs are pointing to “The Last of Us” being a quality, dare I say, prestige TV series, there’s still the question of whether or not it falls victim to the video game adaptation curse? We shall see.