Chernobyl director Johan Renck is teaming up again with Chernobyl's creator Craig Mazin, this time to direct at least the pilot episode of HBO's adaptation of The Last Of Us. Renck directed five episodes of HBO's surprise hit series Chernobyl, and was also an executive producer on the show. Mazin is credited as the show's creator, but Renck and he essentially ran the show together. Renck's background is varied, having been a musician in Sweden before stepping behind the camera to become one of the most sought-after music video directors in the world.

Mazin, meanwhile, has now been charged with adapting The Last Of Us for television. The game, developed by Naughty Dog, is considered one of the greatest achievements in video game history, and has long been seen as a perfect property to be turned into a live-action movie or TV series. The initial plan was to make a The Last of Us movie, but Naughty Dog's Neill Druckmann felt that the time restriction wouldn't allow them to tell the full story that they wanted to. Thus, HBO picked up the rights to the game, and has tasked Mazin with turning it into a full TV series.

Related: HBO's The Last Of Us Can Expand The Game's Story (By Not Directly Adapting It)

Now, in an interview with Discussing FilmRenck has confirmed that he will join Mazin on The Last Of Us as an executive producer and will helm at least the pilot episode. Renck says that beyond that he isn't able to confirm anything, as he is not going to be involved on the show to the extent that he was on Chernobyl. However, he does say the reason he chose to be involved is that because Mazin and he work well together, and "like each other".

the last of us poster

Renck also discussed how Mazin and he are approaching the characters in the show. He acknowledges that due to Joel and Ellie being such iconic characters in pop culture, people have an expectation of how they will be portrayed on screen. Renck says that Mazin and he have been having weekly calls with Druckmann. Together, they are figuring out ways to adapt the characters, as Renck believes it is harder to adapt a video game character than a character from a book, who only lives in the minds of readers. For The Last Of Us, people have a very specific idea of how Joel and Ellie look, sound and act.

Renck's involvement in The Last Of Us isn't surprising, given how fruitful his collaboration with Mazin on Chernobyl turned out to be. It's also a good sign for fans of the game that it appears Mazin and he are taking their adaptation seriously, and treating the original property with respect. The series is due to be released in 2021, and fans can of course look forward to the release of the sequel video game, The Last Of Us Part II later this month.

More: Casting Ellie In HBO's The Last Of Us TV Show

Source: Discussing Film