See Pedro Pascal In The Post-Apocalyptic Winter For The Last Of Us Series

Toward the end of the game, Pedro Pascal’s Joel and Ellie arrive at the University of Eastern Colorado, where they believe the Fireflies are currently stationed.

By Charlene Badasie | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

pedro pascal the last of us

New behind-the-scenes videos from HBO’s upcoming series The Last of Us gives fans their first look at Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie riding on horseback through a post-apocalyptic world. The scene, like the series, is based on the popular action-adventure game, created by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. For fans of the game, it’s giving a unique look at what parts of the story they’re including. For fans of Pedro Pascal, it’s giving a fun new look at this upcoming project for the rising star.

Shared on social media by The Last of Us Updates, the clip of the duo on horseback recreates an iconic moment from the 2013 video game.

Toward the end of the game, Pedro Pascal’s Joel and Ellie arrive at the University of Eastern Colorado, where they believe the Fireflies are currently stationed. But soon the pair finds out that the Fireflies have abandoned the area and have moved their operation to Salt Lake City. The sequence is one of the coolest “levels” in The Last of Us. But it’s probably best remembered for the shots of Joel and Ellie riding on horseback through the campus.

These new photos are a clear indication that The Last of Us series will recreate that famous scene as closely and accurately as possible. So far fans have been happy with the images and snippets that have made their way onto social media. Gamers are especially happy with the casting of The Mandalorian star due to his striking resemblance to Joel.

The Pedro Pascal series will follow the story of the original game with the possibility of additional content based on the sequel, The Last of Us Part II which was released in 2020. The popular first installment told a heart-stopping story that ended with a moment filled with moral ambiguity. Joel decided to save Ellie’s life (the only known person immune to the zombifying plague of cordyceps fungus that wiped out most of the human population) rather than sacrifice her body to science to create a vaccine.

That ending turned the launch of The Last of Us Part II into a legitimate event, filled with fanfare that’s usually reserved for the release of blockbuster movies. However, the grand finale has been one of the most debated aspects of the game, with a lot of players questioning the creative direction of the much-loved story. After seeking revenge on Abby and her friends for murdering Joel, Ellie decides to spare Abby and let her go free with Lev. At this point, Ellie and Tommy had killed almost all of Abby’s other friends. So a lot of players were upset that in the final moment of the game, Abby got to walk away unscathed.

Once the gaming hype died down, fans of the franchise had been hoping for an adaptation of the best-selling game and were delighted when it was finally announced in 2020. Pedro Pascal was linked to The Last of Us series pretty early on, with his Game of Thrones co-star Bella Ramsey portraying Ellie – a character who went on to have a much larger role in The Last of Us Part II. The series will also feature Tommy (Gabriel Luna), Joel’s younger brother and a former soldier.

The first season of the Pedro Pascal starrer will consist of 10 episodes written by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (who wrote and directed the game). Original game composer Gustavo Santaolalla will compose the score, and Kantemir Balagov will direct the pilot episode. The series is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television in association with PlayStation Productions. The first season of The Last of Us will debut on HBO in 2022.