The cast of HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us is slowly coming together with several familiar faces bringing the original video game’s characters to life. However, the show’s creators are looking to fill its directorial team with some equally top-notch talent. According to Variety, Jasmila Žbanić and Ali Abbasi will each helm their own episodes of the series.
Earlier this year, HBO hired Kantemir Balagov, the acclaimed filmmaker behind Russia’s Beanpole, to direct The Last of Us’ pilot episode. Balagov was brought on to replace Johan Renck, best known as the director of HBO’s Chernobyl’s miniseries. From that point, it was clear that the producers wanted the show’s direction to meet a certain standard of quality. Thankfully, Žbanić and Abbasi’s resumes indicate that they’re both up to the challenge.
Bosnian filmmaker Žbanić most recently directed Quo Vadis, Aida?, which is up for Best International Feature at this Sunday’s Oscars. The movie (which is currently streaming on Hulu) also won Best International Film at last night’s Film Independent Spirit Awards. Meanwhile, Abbasi’s latest feature, Border, was a Swedish fantasy flick that won the Un Certain Regard Award after premiering at Cannes in 2018.
RELATED: Gabriel Luna Cast as Tommy in HBO’s The Last of Us
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are headlining The Last of Us as Joel and Ellie, respectively. Last week, Gabriel Luna also joined the cast as Joel’s younger brother, Tommy.
Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin is writing the series alongside Naughty Dog co-president Neill Druckmann. Filming will begin in July and may extend to June 2022.
Are you excited to see what Žbanić and Abbasi bring to The Last of Us? Let us know in the comments down below!
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