Craig Mazin Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

The Last Of Us have been review-bombed seemingly due to the inclusion of LGBTQ+ storylines.As per IMDb’s score system calculated from user ratings, the episodes Long Long Time and Left Behind have become the worst rated of the season.The third episode Long Long Time, which follows Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank’s (Murray Bartlett) romance, has an 8.0 rating from over 211,000 reviews. The latter number far outweighs the amount of ratings for the rest of the season, with the closest being the premiere which has over 103,000.Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Riley’s (Storm Reid) relationship in seventh episode Left Behind is the worst rated episode with a 7.4 average from over 57,000 reviews.Speaking to GQ Magazine, showrunner Craig Mazin discussed the online blowback, referring to the third episode specifically which has been widely praised by critics.“To the extent that the storylines move people to rage, confusion, or disappointment or anger,” Mazin said.

Jacqueline Lesko has been promoted to President of Production at Word Games — the production company founded by multiple Emmy-winning writer, producer and director Craig Mazin, which is best known for its work on HBO’s smash hit series Chernobyl and The Last of Us.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Craig Mazin’s Word Games Entertainment has promoted Jacqueline Lesko to the role of president of production, Variety has learned. “Jacqueline has been an integral part of our company’s growth and success for a decade now, and the proof of her value is right there on the screen for everyone to see,” Mazin said in a statement. “I couldn’t ask for a better partner as we continue our journey with my own projects as well as shows we’re developing with other artists.” Lesko was a co-executive producer on the first season of Mazin’s hit HBO series “The Last of Us,” based on the video game of the same name, which recently concluded its first season. She will now be an executive producer on Season 2 of the show. “The Last of Us” has proven to be incredibly popular with viewers and critics, with the recent season finale pulling in a series high 8.2 million viewers on linear and streaming platforms the night it aired. In addition, the first season holds a 96% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent “The Last of Us” has become the most-viewed title ever on HBO’s subscription streaming service in Europe. Warner Bros. Discovery announced on Tuesday that the first season of the nine-episode apocalyptic-drama has smashed HBO’s SVOD European viewer ratings. This result comes after the season one finale set another ratings high in the U.S. on Sunday night, delivering 8.2 million viewers across HBO Max and linear telecasts, based on Nielsen and first party data. The series, which is based on the critically acclaimed video game of the same name developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation, has been a hit from the get go. “The Last of Us” is now averaging 30.4 million viewers in the U.S. across its first six episodes, according to HBO, with the first episode approaching 40 million viewers in the U.S. Outside of the U.S.. The show is now also the most-watched show ever on HBO Max in Latin America.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor SPOILER ALERT: This contains spoilers from the Season 1 finale of “The Last of Us,” now streaming on HBO Max. Sunday’s season finale of “The Last of Us” tackled two of the video games most famous scenes: the giraffe moment and the final hospital shootout. Joel (Pedro Pascal) shoots his way through the Salt Lake City hospital as he upholds his commitment to saving Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and chooses her life over the future of humanity. In the final minutes of the episode, Joel decides to take Ellie away from the hospital, where her immunity to the deadly cordyceps fungus could’ve provided a cure, but in performing the operation, she would’ve died. Amid a hail of bullets from Firefly soldiers, Joel makes his choice to take Ellie back to Jackson, Wyo., and massacres nearly everyone in the hospital.

The Last Of Us showrunner Craig Mazin has defended season one’s controversial ending.The show’s first season came to an end with the episode Look For The Light, which aired in the UK today March 13 and US yesterday (March 12). HBO renewed the series for a second season back in January.The first season concluded at the exact same point as the original video game.

The Last of Us will take “more than one” season to adapt the video game’s sequel, The Last of Us: Part II. HBO’s post-apocalyptic drama was officially renewed for a second season in January, but its creators have revealed the events of Part II will span at least two seasons of television.

Jordan Moreau SPOILER ALERT: This contains spoilers from the Season 1 finale of “The Last of Us,” now streaming on HBO Max. “The Last of Us” was officially renewed for a Season 2 by HBO in January, but the creators are planning “more than one season” to tell the much larger story from the video game’s sequel, “The Last of Us: Part II.” Released on the PlayStation 4 in 2020, seven years after the original game debuted, “The Last of Us: Part II” tells a bigger, more complex story than its predecessor. There are many more characters, flashbacks and action set pieces, and the creators of the HBO adaptation, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, confirmed to GQ that the events of “Part II” will span more than one season.

The Last Of Us will officially return for a second season.Based on the 2013 game by developer Naughty Dog, the show follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) 20 years after civilisation has been ravaged by a deadly infection.The show’s first season came to an end with the episode Look For The Light, which aired in March, 2023. HBO renewed the series for a second season back in January.The first season concluded at the exact same point as the original game.

The Last Of Us closes out season one with the death of a key character.Created by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and the original game’s co-director Neil Druckmann, the series follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) 20 years after civilisation has been ravaged by a deadly infection.The season finale, titled Look For The Light, saw Joel make a crucial decision to save Ellie from the Fireflies – resulting in a string of murders.Unfortunately, she’s super dead. As Marlene (Merle Dandridge) attempts to convince Joel that his choice to save Ellie was wrong – preventing humanity from finding a cure to the Cordyceps infection – Joel shoots Marlene in the stomach.The show cuts forward to a scene later where Joel lies to Ellie about what happened with the Fireflies, saying they had found other people who were immune and had failed to create a cure from them.

The Last Of Us will return for a second season on HBO.Created by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and the original game’s co-creator Neil Druckmann, the series follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) 20 years after modern civilisation has been ravaged by a deadly infection.The first episode became HBO’s second biggest premiere in over a decade, behind House Of The Dragon, with 4.7million viewers in the US across HBO and HBO Max.HBO announced the show will return for a second season in January ahead of the third episode.“I’m humbled, honoured and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey,” Druckmann said. “Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog & PlayStation, thank you!”The journey continues.

The Last Of Us faithfully adapts the acclaimed video game into a prestige post-apocalyptic drama series.Created by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and the original game’s co-creator Neil Druckmann, the series follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) 20 years after modern civilisation has been ravaged by a deadly infection.The show also stars Gabriel Luna, Anna Torv, Merle Dandridge, Nico Parker, Murray Bartlett and Nick Offerman.Unlike the game, the HBO series provides a clear answer to the reason behind Ellie’s immunity. In episode nine, Look For The Light, a flashback with Ellie’s mother Anna (Ashley Johnson) shows her giving birth to Ellie shortly after being bitten by the infected.When Marlene (Merle Dandridge) later finds Anna and notices the bite mark, Anna lies and states that she cut the umbilical cord before she was bitten.

 came to a (temporary) end on Sunday night with the release of its season 1 finale. Aligned with the conclusion of video game, creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have now officially brought the entirety of the game's first installment to the screen. Sunday night's release left fans reeling after a violent hospital shootout. Joel realized that the Firefly doctors' intended procedure — to analyze the cordyceps in Ellie's brain in the hopes of finding a cure -- would have killed her, and took out the surgeon and several Firefly guards in order to rescue Ellie off the operating table and get her out of the hospital.However, when she wakes up after his killing spree, Joel lies to Ellie — telling her that the doctors' science has failed and she is no longer part of their plan.

SPOILER ALERT: The story includes details about Episode 9 of HBO’s The Last Of Us.

Jordan Moreau SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from the Season 1 finale of “The Last of Us,” now streaming on HBO Max. The world of “The Last of Us” just got its first major clue as to how Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey in HBO’s hit adaptation, became immune to the deadly cordyceps fungus. And, in a poetic, full-circle moment, the finale brought back actor Ashley Johnson, who originally starred as Ellie in “The Last of Us” video game, to play Ellie’s mother, Anna. The Season 1 finale opened with a flashback to Ellie’s birth — which had never been seen in the 2013 video game nor its 2021 sequel. Before Sunday night’s episode, there were no confirmed details about how Ellie became immune to cordyceps, and Anna had never appeared onscreen. In the episode’s surprise opening sequence, the season finale revealed that Anna was bitten by an infected person moments before giving birth to Ellie. Anna kills the assailant before cutting the umbilical cord, but those moments of connection may have created within Ellie a “chemical messenger” that “makes normal cordyeps think she’s cordyceps,” as Marlene (Merle Dandridge) later explains in the episode. (Dandridge is the only actor in “The Last of Us” who plays the same character that she did in the game.)

The Last Of Us has proved to be a major hit for HBO, and with the first season coming to a dramatic end, many will be eager to know if a second is on the horizon.Created by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and the original game’s co-director Neil Druckmann, the series follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) 20 years after modern civilisation has been ravaged by a deadly infection.A synopsis reads: “The series takes place 20 years after modern civilisation has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone.“What starts as a small job soon become a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the US and depend on each other for survival.”Reviews for the first season have been extremely positive across the board, so it’s no surprise that many are already looking forward to a second run of the video game adaption.The Last Of Us will indeed return for a second season.

The Last of Us. Based on the hit video game from developer Naughty Dog and distributed by Sony, HBO’s nine-episode drama was an instant success when it debuted in January, earning rave reviews and the second highest ratings for a series premiere since 2010 with 4.7 million viewers across HBO and HBO Max. In fact, The Last of Us only grew more popular in the weeks after launch, notching higher ratings to reach 7.5 million viewers by the fourth episode. In the hands of series creators Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann (a co-creator of the original game), the show deftly balances the original, action-packed source material with the narrative nuance afforded by serial TV.

Joel and Ellie’s journey is just beginning. HBO’s The Last of Us is returning for a second season of post-apocalyptic adventures.

Even amid an unrelenting apocalyptic world, life finds a way. Ahead of The Last of Us Season 1 finale, HBO released a new image featuring a pregnant and seemingly stressed-out woman named Anna. Also known as Ellie’s mother, Anna is played by acclaimed voice actor and motion capture performer Ashley Johnson, who originated the role of Ellie Williams in the video game series. In the series, Ellie is portrayed by Bella Ramsey.

EXCLUSIVE: TriStar Pictures has landed Spyglass Media Group ‘s Thanksgiving, a full-length slasher film inspired by the legendary fictitious trailer directed by Eli Roth that was featured in the 2007 cult film, Grindhouse. Roth returns as director and co-wrote the script with Jeff Rendell with Roger Birnbaum, Roth and Rendell producing.

will return for season 2. HBO announced the renewal on Jan. 27, two weeks after its series premiere became the streamer's second-highest debut ever, behind.

HBO’s penultimate episode 8 of The Last Of Us delivered 8.1 million viewers Sunday night across HBO Max and linear telecasts. That’s up 74% from the series debut night in January and sets a new series high ahead of next Sunday’s season finale, per Nielsen and HBO.

Katcy Stephan SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers from Episode 8 of “The Last of Us,” now streaming on HBO Max. Troy Baker has been at the center of the “Last of Us” universe for a decade. The esteemed voice actor originated the role of grizzly survivalist Joel Miller in the 2013 game and its sequel in 2020. When HBO’s series adaptation was announced, Baker didn’t expect to be a part of it. “If there was a role for me, then I would have been happy. But if not, I was completely content to just be an observer for this onel,” he says. Luckily, co-showrunner Neil Druckmann, who is also the co-creator of the game, had a role in mind for him.

Scroll To See More Images

The Last Of Us follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) 20 years after modern civilisation has been ravaged by a deadly infection.Based on the celebrated PlayStation game of the same name, original series creator Neil Druckmann co-wrote The Last Of Us alongside Craig Mazin (Chernobyl). The series has quickly become a ratings smash.The first episode became HBO’s second biggest premiere in over a decade after House Of The Dragon, racking up 4.7 million viewers in the US while viewership of the second episode jumped up to 5.7 million viewers, a 22 per cent increase.

The Last Of Us premieres today (February 26) and introduces a new but important character.Created by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and the original game’s co-creator Neil Druckmann, The Last Of Us follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) 20 years after modern civilisation has been ravaged by a deadly infection.So far, the pair have encountered a variety of different characters, with the likes of Gabriel Luna (Tommy), Nick Offerman (Bill), Murray Bartlett (Frank) and Melanie Lynskey (Kathleen) all guest starring throughout the season.Episode seven of The Last Of Us takes a pause on Joel and Ellie’s quest for a cure to focus on Ellie’s backstory, introducing new character Riley.Storm Reid plays Riley. According to the HBO website, Riley is “an orphaned girl growing up in post-apocalyptic Boston.”Riley was mentioned by Marlene (Merle Dandridge) to Ellie in episode one but this will be her first on-screen appearance.Reid’s breakout role was as Gia Bennett, the younger sister of Zendaya‘s Rue, in Euphoria.

The Last Of Us has become a record-breaking show for HBO, claiming the title of the network’s most-viewed original series in an opening weekend.It’s no surprise, then, that many of the show’s fans expect the video game adaptation to return for a second season – and potentially more.Created by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and the original game’s co-director Neil Druckmann, the series follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) 20 years after modern civilisation has been ravaged by a deadly infection.A synopsis reads: “The series takes place 20 years after modern civilisation has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone.“What starts as a small job soon become a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the US and depend on each other for survival.”We know that the first season will consist of nine episodes, but the show’s future beyond that is currently unclear.A second season is yet to be officially commissioned by HBO, but given the show’s popularity, it now seems like an inevitability.

said on the “Graham Norton Show” that some “Star Wars” fans are asking him to use the voice that he uses on “The Mandalorian” to their kids … and the actor isn’t a fan of this request.  “People come up to me and ask me to do the voice for their kids. But I think it sounds inappropriate because it is a breathy, low-register bedroom voice.

The Last Of Us premieres today (February 19) and reintroduces viewers to a familiar face.Created by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and the original game’s co-creator Neil Druckmann, The Last Of Us follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) 20 years after modern civilisation has been ravaged by a deadly infection.Last seen in episode one of HBO’s post-apocalyptic drama, Tommy is Joel’s younger brother. While we haven’t seen Tommy since the start of the outbreak, Joel has told Ellie that his little brother got involved with revolutionary group the Fireflies, which ultimately led to their split.Gabriel Luna plays the role of Tommy.

, fans expressed mass concern. The video game franchise, which debuted in 2013, remains one of the most beloved stories in the gaming community -- no one wanted to see it ruined. Plus, attempts to adapt the game had already failed once: almost became the subject of a live-action movie distributed by Sony, but the project fell through in 2019.Show creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann looked at these past struggles as learning opportunities for their television show, which is currently in the midst of season 1 on HBO Max. To succeed in their adaptation, Mazin and Druckmann knew that they had to ground their show’s foundation in the game’s origins, but the first episode’s release in January seemed to surprise even the most ardent of fans with how much they truly got it right. With each week's Sunday release, fans point out the growing number of scenes that recreate the game almost identically, with others complimenting the areas where Mazin and Druckmann chose to go in a different direction. Check out our favorite game-to-show comparisons by episode below. Sitting on the couch in their Texas home, Joel's daughter Sarah gifts him a mended watch for his birthday.