Craig Mazin Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Craig Mazin recently told the Los Angeles Times that the script for “Pirates of the Caribbean 6” is so weird he is surprised Disney actually bought it. Variety reported in summer 2020 that Disney was in early development on two “Pirates” movies: A reboot led by Margot Robbie and a sixth film in the original franchise written by Mazin and Ted Elliott, the latter of whom co-wrote the first four “Pirates” movies.

The Last Of Us fans can rest easy. The buzzy Emmy-nominated series’ co-creator Neil Druckmann tells EW in an interview, “We’ve outlined all of season 2 and we’re ready to go as soon as the strike ends.”

Zack Sharf Digital News Director SPOILER ALERT: This post discusses plot developments from “The Last Of Us Part II” video game, which will presumably serve as inspiration for Season 2 of the HBO adaptation. “The Last of Us” creator and co-showrunner Neil Druckmann confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that Season 2 of the Emmy-nominated HBO series is all outlined and ready to go as soon as the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes come to an end. He’s currently making the press rounds touting the new “Last of Us” attraction at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights. “We’ve outlined all of Season 2 and we’re ready to go as soon as the strike ends,” Druckmann said.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer In a sign of Hollywood’s escalating internal tensions, a prominent Directors Guild of America member openly advocated against the election of 10 writer-directors to the guild’s board earlier this month on the grounds that they were “primarily writers” and hailed from “fringe groups.” In a leaked email that has been shared widely in the creative community, Linda Montanti, chair of the guild’s Western AD/UPM Council, urged a bloc of DGA voters to not support the board candidacies of a number of multihyphenates who are members of both the DGA and WGA — some of whom have been outspoken about strike issues. The list includes writer-producer Boots Riley, Oscar-winning “CODA” writer-director Sian Heder, actor-filmmaker Justine Bateman, actor-writer Paul Scheer and “Chernobyl” creator Craig Mazin.

Jon Burlingame Five of this year’s six nominees for main title design are for shows from the science-fiction, fantasy or horror genres. Only “The White Lotus” is a conventional drama.

HBO‘s hit live-TV adaptation of The Last Of Us could last around four seasons, according to showrunner Craig Mazin.Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Mazin teased that his and The Last Of Us creator Neil Druckmann’s vision for the HBO series could see it last anywhere between three to five seasons, though he thinks “four seems like a good number”.“It can end up being three or five. But four seems like a good number.

Last week Billy Ray frightened everyone with the disruptive potential of AI by interviewing the technology and having it respond in the familiar voices of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. In his Week 14 outing, Ray pivots. On a day when the WGA and AMPTP plan to return to the bargaining table just short of the 100 days it took to settle the last strike, Ray explores ways that both sides can find common ground in a future that nurtures an ecosystem that will perpetuate and reward creative growth, leading to a renaissance that will be profitable for all. He’s got a killer panel to parse the issue, three guests who have had outsized success in their domains: The Matrix series co-director Lilly Wachowski, The Last of Us and Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin, and Blumhouse principal Jason Blum, whose trajectory came from an inventive formula that involves transparency, and artists who bet on themselves and share mightily in success. It’s an electric exchange of ideas to heal the rifts between artists and commerce-minded studios, one that might have then rowing in the same directing, toward better and more imaginative film and TV.

The Last Of Us Season 2 will not have another special episode for side characters like season one did. In season one we saw that episode three was completely about the characters Bill and Frank. This will not happen in the next season and it is good news for the main character, Ellie.

The Last Of Us is a huge hit and it always has been. Now, according to new remarks from executive producer Craig Mazin, HBO’s TLOU will go for at least 3 Seasons. “It’s going to be more than one season.

Part 2 of two-part interview with The Last Of Us creator Craig Mazin about series’ 24 Emmy nominations, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and Season 2 of the hit HBO series.

Part 1 of two-part interview with The Last Of Us creator Craig Mazin about series’ 24 Emmy nominations, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes and Season 2 of the hit HBO series.

The Last Of Us is non-binary, and has recently shared their hope for gender-neutral categories at award ceremonies.The 19-year-old has been nominated for the award alongside alongside Sarah Snook (Succession), Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters), Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale), Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets) and Keri Russell (The Diplomat) at the 2023 Emmys, and many have shared their dislike of the choice, owing to Ramsey’s gender-fluid identity, which they revealed earlier this year.“‘best actress’ for an openly nonbinary person who wore a binder the entire filming hahahahaha sick,” one wrote on social media.Another added: “Award shows need more inclusive categories for people with gender-expansive identities.”‘best actress’ for an openly nonbinary person who wore a binder the entire filming hahahahaha sick https://t.co/YR3sB3Rpzr— dyke wazowski (@sillygoofyz) July 12, 2023Award shows need more inclusive categories for people with gender-expansive identities.— Zillastorm (@Zillastorm) July 12, 2023In an interview after the nomination was announced, The Last Of Us creator Craig Mazin said that he had spoken with Ramsey about the situation, and that it’s “a really interesting challenge” in the film industry.He told Variety: “On the one hand, the conversation about gender has transformed dramatically and in a very progressive and positive way.“On the other, we have to practically make sure that by moving away from gendered categories, we don’t short-change traditionally overlooked folks… and we know that in non-gendered categories like directing and writing, women have been historically under-appreciated.”Earlier this year, Ramsey called for “more space” for non-binary actors at awards shows.

HBO‘s “The Last Of Us” ratcheted up 24 Emmy nominations yesterday, coming second in total noms only to its HBO brethren “Succession.” Not a bad haul for a show’s first season. But despite all of that recognition, EW reports that showrunner Craig Mazin expects that Season 2 of his hit series will continue to “shock people” and polarize audiences.

For 10-year-old actor Keivonn Woodard, life is nothing but net. Literally. As the Emmy nominations were read on Wednesday morning, Woodard was at a basketball summer camp program while his mother, April Jackson, was at home watching her son make television history.

Selome Hailu After a spring spent breaking audiences’ hearts and viewership records for HBO, “The Last of Us” co-creator and showrunner Craig Mazin is having a complicated summer. On one hand, Mazin’s show just earned 24 Emmy nominations — more than any other show this year besides HBO peer “Succession.” Highlights include lead acting nods for Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey; a whopping seven guest acting nods including deaf 10-year-old actor Kevionn Montreal Woodard; and another in the outstanding drama series category. But on the other, Mazin is a proud member of the Writers Guild of America, which has been on strike for 72 days against the studios, networks and streamers that make up the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

Selome Hailu Though it was at one point reported that the most recent draft of Lionsgate’s “Borderlands” movie had been co-written by Craig Mazin, that involvement doesn’t seem to be true. Questions about the “Chernobyl” and “The Last of Us” writer’s attachment began to rise on Sunday, when World of Reel reported that “Borderlands” was in “post-production hell” and that Mazin had removed his name from the project, opting instead to use the pseudonym “Joe Crombie.” While the Writers Guild of America’s website does list Joe Crombie as a co-writer alongside director Eli Roth, Mazin is now publicly denying that the pen name is his. “I am not a credited writer on the film, so I cannot claim any kind of authorship of ‘Borderlands,’ much less ‘co-writing,'” he said in a statement to Variety. “I did see the report about the pseudonym, which is false. I did not use a pseudonym. If the name in question is indeed a pseudonym, all I can say is… it’s not mine.”

Aside from a handful of outliers like The X-Files, a four-time Outstanding Drama Series nominee, the top Emmy drama category had not been very welcoming to genre shows. That changed in a big way with HBO’s fantasy series Game Of Thrones, which became a four-time drama series winner.

The Last Of Us, but his potential casting never became “serious”.While the HBO adaptation of the video game was in development, reports claimed True Detective stars Mahershala Ali and McConaughey were both in contention to play the role of Joel in the series, which eventually went to Pedro Pascal.Show co-creator Craig Mazin addressed the rumours on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, where he confirmed talks with McConaughey had taken place.“I actually never talked to Mahershala,” Mazin said. “I did talk to Matthew [McConaughey]. I can’t say it was serious.

The cast of The Last of Us might have looked very different.

It’s hard to imagine The Last of Us without Pedro Pascal, but cocreator Craig Mazin revealed that there was another contender for the role of Joel — Matthew McConaughey.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Before Pedro Pascal landed the male lead in HBO’s adaptation of the hugely popular “The Last of Us” video game, rumors swirled that co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann were trying to lure former “True Detective” stars Mahershala Ali and Matthew McConaughey back to the network to headline the series. Mazin finally sounded off on the casting rumors during a recent interview on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast. “I actually never talked to Mahershala,” Mazin said before confirming that talks with McConaughey did in fact take place. However, it sounds like McConaughey’s casting never made it past early discussions about the project.

Craig Mazin, showrunner of The Last of Us, is opening up about working on the script for Dune: Part Two.

After years and years of writing comedy films with mixed success (for every “Hangover” there’s a “Superhero Movie”), Craig Mazin has found his place as one of the best creators on television, thanks to the success of both “Chernobyl” and “The Last of Us.” And apparently, with his renewed passion for TV, it appears he’s willing to put the film business behind him.

In HBO’s hit series The Last of Us, it’s the end of the world as most of humanity knows it, but Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey feel just fine. Long gone are the traces of the hardened survivor Joel (Pascal) and the teenage spitfire Ellie (Ramsey), who must endure the collapse of modern civilization due to a deadly mutable fungus that turns people into zombie-like creatures. Well, sort of. Comfortably sat within the confines of a secluded lounge at the Directors Guild of America, the pair are swapping inside jokes and bursting with laughter. While Pascal trades in Joel’s stoicism for passion, Ramsey can’t quite shake the penchant for Ellie’s habitual cussing.

While the onscreen travails of Joel and Ellie take center stage in The Last of Us, as they did in the videogame, for Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, the translation to television afforded an opportunity to delve deeper into the larger struggle of survivors of the pandemic. The show’s third episode “Long, Long Time” expands the game’s story of survivalist Bill (Nick Offerman), who turns his hometown into an infected-proof compound, and who seems content to survive on his own. That is, until Frank (Murray Bartlett) gets stuck in one of Bill’s traps, and the pair fall delicately, and movingly, in love with one another.

Please note: the screening and panel took place on April 28, before the start of the WGA Strike.

Adapted from the video game of the same name, HBO’s “The Last of Us” finds Pedro Pascal’s Joel in a post-apocalyptic landscape not unlike “The Walking Dead,” the zombie series that gave Steven Yeun his breakout role in 2010. As Yeun returns to TV in the Netflix series “Beef,” which chronicles a gnarly feud sparked by a road rage incident between a contractor (Yeun) and a vengeful business owner (Ali Wong), he and Pascal discuss humility (including Pascal’s faceless performance in “The Mandalorian”), shame and the chaos of driving through Los Angeles on 4/20. STEVEN YEUN: How much did you know about “The Last of Us”?

HBO’s The Last Of Us, is based on Naughty Dogs’ former Game of the Year award winner. Released back in 2014, The Last Of Us was an instant classic in its genre. Recently HBO’s Drama Chief, Francesca Oris hinted that The Last Of Us may not continue after Season 2.

Often overlooked thanks to the ‘skip intro’ button, a great main title sequence serves as an entry point into another world. And this Emmy season has its share of series based on previous properties, which presents the main title designers with the challenge of linking existing inspirations with new stories. 

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday. Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

The Last Of Us has been revealed as the most bloodthirsty TV series.In new data provided by IMDb and Cinemorgue Wiki (via BonusFinder), the post-apocalyptic drama was named as the most fatal show in the world, with 56.5 per cent of its characters being killed.The HBO series also has the highest mortality rate, with roughly 5.78 characters dying per episode.Created by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann (co-director of The Last Of Us games), 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.”According to BonusFinder‘s data, Starz historical drama Spartacus has the second highest death rate for a TV show, with 46.7 per cent of its characters being killed.

Amon Warmann Guest Contributor Fantasy show composers Gustavo Santaolalla (“The Last of Us”), Bear McCreary (“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”) and Ramin Djawadi (“House of the Dragon”) knew going in that their respective projects had built-in audiences — and that those fandoms should be kept in mind while creating their scores.  “The Last of Us” showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin told Santaolalla that music needed to be “another character” for the HBO series adapted from the video game he previously scored. Rather than create new themes, Santaolalla organically transitioned the music to TV. The South American instrument called “the ronroco,” which he used to write “The Last of Us” theme, was integral in keeping that connectivity for fans who had experienced Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie’s (Bella Ramsay) journey before. 

told the Hollywood Reporter. “[The daddy thing] seems a little role-related. There was a period where the Mandalorian is very daddy to baby Grogu, and Joel is very daddy to Ellie [in ‘The Last of Us’].”Pascal, 48, has experienced a meteoric rise recently. Although he initially rose to fame in 2014 playing the ill-fated swaggering bisexual prince Oberyn on “Game of Thrones” during the show’s fourth season, his spotlight has increased more recently.

Editors note: Deadline’s It Starts On The Page features 10 standout drama series scripts in 2023 Emmy contention. It showcases the critical role writer’s work plays in a show’s success. All materials (the script and writers intro) were submitted before the WGA strike began on May 2.

HBO‘s The Last Of Us adaptation have reportedly been put on hold due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike.Per a new Variety report, sources close to the production of The Last Of Us have confirmed that the show had begun preparations for its casting process, but have been halted earlier this week.Other sources told the outlet that actors auditioning for season two were told to read lines directly from The Last Of Us Part II, the 2020 PlayStation game that season two of the HBO series will be based on. Variety also reports that though strikes are ongoing, with no end in sight at the moment, the production hopes to begin filming in Vancouver early next year.Craig Mazin – who co-wrote, co-directed and was showrunner on the HBO adaptation – has reportedly been spotted at ongoing strikes and is not currently involved in any writing, producing or casting work for season two due to the strike.Naughty Dog‘s Neil Druckmann, who created the gaming franchise and co-created, co-wrote and co-directed on the HBO show, is also reportedly not working on season two at this time.HBO’s adaptation of The Last Of Us premiered earlier this year and received rave reviews, with NME scoring it four out of five stars.

We’ve got bad news for fans who were waiting to hear more about the second season of HBO’s hit show The Last of Us: Casting has been put on hold due to the ongoing writers strike.