The Last of Us TV show "should" debut in early 2023, director says

The Last of Us TV series could debut in early 2023, the first episode's director has revealed.

For a time it seemed the show would premiere this year, but HBO has since confirmed that isn't happening, instead pegging it for a vague 2023 release. Now it seems that release window has tentatively narrowed down to early 2023, which could be anywhere from January to April or so. This is according to Kantemir Balagov, who directed the pilot episode of The Last of Us TV show and touched on the release window in a recent interview with Russian outlet Cold (thanks, Comicbook). "[The series] is still filming," Balagov said. "It should be released early next year."

Of course, this isn't an official announcement from HBO, and until we get that it's best to take this with a grain of salt. Still, it's the most specific release window we've heard from someone directly involved with the show.

Alongside the news of a potential release window, Balagov also let slip that the series is still filming. This is a little surprising considering Neil Druckmann, who directed the two Last of Us games and serves as director and co-writer on the show, wrapped up his work on the series back in November. Six months out it's fair to assume it would be nearing a move into post production, but regardless, it would seem we're less than a year away from seeing the show's premiere on HBO Max.

The series stars Game of Thrones and The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller, with fellow Thrones alum Bella Ramsey taking on the role of his co-star and surrogate daughter Ellie Williams.

For what to watch in the meantime, check our exhaustive list of the best TV shows to see if there's anything you missed.