Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.has been cast in a lead role for HBO’sThe Last of UsTV series adaptation. Luna will be playing the role of Tommy, the brother of Pedro Pascal’s Joel, who’s described as a former soldier who hasn’t lost his sense of idealism and hope for a better world. Also starring in a lead role alongside Luna and Pascal is Bella Ramsey as the 14-year-old survivor Ellie.
Gabriel Lunahas previously worked with HBO as a recurring character in season 2 ofTrue Detective. He is also known for playingGhost Rideron the Marvel superhero seriesAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.and played the main villain in the action movie sequelTerminator: Dark Fate. His other credits include lead roles in the TV showsMatadorandWicked City.
The Last of UsTV series takes place twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed. It followsJoel (Pascal)as a hardened survivor hired tosmuggle a teenage survivor named Ellie(Ramsey) out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts asa small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse across the U.S. and depend on each other forsurvival.
Chernobylcreator Craig Mazin developed the TV series withThe Last of Uscreative director Neil Druckmann. Kantemir Balagov will direct the pilot episode. Druckmann and Mazin will write and executive produce, and Carolyn Strauss also executive produces alongside Naughty Dog president Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, and Carter Swan of PlayStation Productions, as well as Rose Lam.
“[T]he one anxiety I think fans of something have is that, when the property gets licensed to someone else, those people don’t really understand it, or are gonna change it, or make it stupid,” Mazin said of the series on theMust Watchwebcast last year. “And in this case, I’m doing it with the guy [Druckmann] who did it. And so the changes that we’re making are designed to fill things out and expand. Not to undo, but rather to enhance.”
“There’s no episodic nonsense here. This is all very much, like, curated. But the things that are new and enhancing of the storyline that we’re doing are connected in organic, serious ways that I think fans of the game and newcomers alike will appreciate,” Mazin added.
The project is a collaboration between Sony Pictures TV, PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog. It is based on the popular video game developed by Naughty Dog exclusively for PlayStation platforms. The original game was released in 2013 and produced a hit sequel that was released to similar success last year.
HBO’sThe Last of Usseries is expected to start filming this summer in Calgary with production expected to run for about 11 months. The series marks the start of several other projects in the works based on PlayStation games. Also in the works is anUnchartedmovie starring Tom Holland as Nathan Drake and aTwisted MetalTV series. The news of Gabriel Luna’s casting inThe Last of Uscomes to us fromDeadline.
