The Last Of Us Spinoff Shut Down By Showrunner

“Nick was joking about a prequel, that was kind of a joke,” Mazin continued. “We are very happy with what we achieved.” Mazin was responding to follow-up questions from the press after Nick Offerman, who played Bill alongside Murray Bartlett’s Frank, hinted at a The Last of Us prequel series. “It certainly has been pitched,” the actor said after his Creative Emmys win.

“I think we pitched a whole mini-series of a prequel of their lives before they met each other,” Offerman added about The Last of Us spinoff. “It could be a musical. We’re not short on ideas. We’ll just we’ll see what Craig [Mazin] and Neil [Druckmann] come up with.”

The Bill and Frank story arc in The Last of Us Season 1, Episode 3, titled “Long, Long Time,” was an emotional part of the series that showcased the love story between doomsday prepper Bill and an artist named Frank, who meet shortly after the outbreak.

The episode follows their relationship from their first meeting through to their last day on Earth, where the couple dies by suicide.

While there won’t be a Bill and Frank spinoff, HBO and Max Content CEO Casey Bloys recently assures fans that Season 2 of the live-action adaptation of the popular video game will offer “bigger” experiences while staying true to its source material.

Bloys also praised The Last of Us series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for their meticulous planning.

The cast for The Last of Us Season 2 includes newcomers Kaitlyn Dever as the divisive Abby, Isabela Merced as Ellie’s friend Dina, and Young Mazino as Jesse, who is featured as a supporting character in The Last of Us Part II video game.

While certain deleted scenes from the video game may find their way into the series, Mazin previously hinted that some aspects might be approached differently.

The first season of The Last of Us set records for HBO and Max, drawing an average of around 30 million viewers, making it the most-watched series since the eighth season of Game of Thrones. Season 1 received critical acclaim for its faithfulness to the game, featuring key voice actors such as Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson, and Merle Dandridge.

The series secured eight Primetime Creative Emmy Awards out of 24 nominations, marking a significant achievement for a video game adaptation. Season 2 is expected to begin principal photography in February. While Craig Mazin is planning future seasons, HBO executive Francesca Orsi urges caution when it comes to the series’ future.

“I think Craig and Neil are still figuring out where they’re going to come to an end,” Orsi previously explained.

“We have loosely heard that there will be a [The Last of Us] Season 3 idea for the series, but at this point, we’re taking it one season at a time. There’s no guarantee at this time that we’ll have a Season 3, but I know they both have a vision for Season 3.”

The Last of Us began as a critically praised action-adventure video game developed by Naughty Dog. Released in 2013, it follows the journey of Joel, a smuggler, and Ellie, a teenage girl with immunity to a fungal pandemic that has devastated the world.

Together, the pair travels across the post-apocalyptic United States, facing infected creatures and hostile survivors.

The sequel, The Last of Us Part II, was released in 2020 and shifts the focus to Ellie. Slightly older, she is seeking revenge in a world where societal breakdown continues.

Despite some controversy surrounding certain story choices, the game was praised for its storytelling, character complexity, and stunning visuals.

Source: Deadline