The Last of Us Live-Action Series Welcomes Two New Directors

Oscar-nominated directors Jasmila Žbanić and Ali Abbasi have been tapped to direct a live-action HBO series for The Last of Us, Deadline reports.

The series "The Last of Us" was originally announced in March 2020 and was approved as a direct-to-series in November of the same year. Currently, the series has confirmed three main characters, namely Pedro Pascal (the male lead of "The Mandalorian") as Joel, Bella Ramsey and Gabriel Luna as Ellie and Tommy respectively.

Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann will both serve as co-writers and executive producers. Mazin is the creator of the HBO series Chernobyl, while Druckmann is the writer and creative director of the game The Last of Us.

Bosnian filmmaker Jasmila Žbanić’s most recent work, Quo Vadis, Aida?, has been nominated for Best International Film at the upcoming 93rd Academy Awards, while Zbanic himself was nominated for Best Director at the 74th British Academy Awards. Iranian director Abbasi has directed two acclaimed films, including Border, which was an official selection at the 2018 Cannes International Film Festival.

Kantemir Balagov (born in the 90s), the director of the Oscar-nominated film "Beanpole", will direct the pilot episode of "The Last of Us". It is not yet clear how many episodes Jasmila Žbanić and Ali Abbasi will direct respectively.