The Last of Us: first trailer released for HBO drama with surprise casting spotted in the new trailer

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HBO’s eagerly anticipated adaptation of video game The Last of Us has released its first trailer, and a new surprise casting along with it.

If Netflix’s TUDUM event wasn’t enough to keep streaming audiences excited for the year ahead, the release of HBO Max’s first trailer for The Last of Us should salate the hungriest of binge watchers.

Based on the 2013 video game developed by Naughty Dog, the team behind the Crash Bandicoot series, the adaptation tells the tale of two survivors travelling across a post-apocalyptic United States.

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Lead character Joel is tasked in smuggling a 14 year old survivor, Ellie, as the series follows the perilous trek the duo undertake, alongside a cast of other characters including Joel’s friends in the smuggling trade.

HBO’s official synopsis for The Last of Us reads: “What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse” across a U.S. ravaged by a lethal disease called the Cordyceps fungus “and depend on each other for survival.”

The Last of Us is said to be the largest television production in Canadian history and the first time HBO have greenlit a video game adaptation.

Who is the new cast member in HBO’s The Last of Us?

Yellowjackets actress Melanie Lynskey is now officially a part of HBO Max’s new series The Last of Us.

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The New Zealand born actress took to Twitter moments after the new teaser trailer dropped and announced her casting with one simple word - “Surprise!”

Her status in the series is currently listed as only a guest role.

Lynskey was last seen on our screens in the five part Hulu series Candy, based on the real-life Candy Montgomery, who was accused of the axe murder of her neighbor, Betty Gore, in 1980.

Who else is in HBO’s The Last of Us?

Already confirmed for the series are the two leads: Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as 14 year old Ellie.

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Gabriel Luna, Merle Dandridge and Anna Torv have also been confirmed as recurring characters in the series.

The Last of Us is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann (The Last of Us video game). The series is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television and is executive produced by Carolyn Strauss, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Rose Lam. PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog produce.

When is HBO’s The Last of Us released?

No official release date has been announced for the first series of The Last of Us, but as filming was underway from July 2021 to June of this year, there’s discussion of an early 2023 release.

Will HBO’s The Last of Us screen on UK TV?

Sky Group have not announced a release date for The Last of Us, however confirmed that they will be screening the series exclusively on Sky TV and NOW TV in 2023 and will be available in all Sky markets including the UK & Ireland, Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Sky also confirmed that each instalment will be available at the same time as the US premiere each week and on demand thereafter.

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