‘The Last of Us’ showrunner was very wary of Pedro Pascal’s ‘Mandalorian’ baggage

There’s been a lot of press lately for the highly-anticipated HBO Max show The Last of Us, based on the blockbuster video game. The show’s star, Pedro Pascal, is no stranger to high-profile roles. He’s also the star of The Mandalorian. That fact was something showrunner Craig Mazin was conscious of, but he stressed that this show is very different.

In a recent feature for The Hollywood Reporter, Mazin revealed that the two properties are different enough from each other that there shouldn’t be any overlap. In The Last of Us, Pascal’s character Joel is tasked with shepherding a young person to safety.

Mazin knows that in The Mandalorian, Pascal’s Din Djarin also has to shepherd a (in theory) young Yoda character named Grogu, or the child as he’s better known. Mazin wants everyone to know that’s where the similarities end.

“‘We talked about the fact that he was in The Mandalorian,’ Mazin says. ‘And you can do the math like: Mandalorian = Joel; Baby Yoda = … but then you realize, actually, no. It’s not the same. The Mandalorian is interacting with a mute, adorable creature — and I love that show. But interacting with a teenager is complicated. Also, the fact they have him covered in a helmet is a huge factor.’”

The idea that a space bounty hunter would be compared to a man living through an apocalypse on earth is a stretch to say the least, but maybe Mazin is just covering his bases here. Pascal also touched on the the issue, sharing that as he played the game he became aware of a lot of references to it in popular culture. He’s as proud of that as he is of The Mandalorian.

“As I [got familiar with the game], I noticed there are so many things I’ve seen that visually or thematically reference The Last of Us. Like [the 2017 X-Men movie] Logan. And yes, the trope has been used in so many different ways — you can go back to [the manga series] Lone Wolf and Cub, you can go to Paper Moon. But as far as Mandalorian and The Last of Us existing in close proximity, for me, it’s the best double-dipping I could possibly imagine.”

Pascal stars along with Bella Ramsey in the new show. Pascal’s character has to smuggle a teenager named Ellie across the country to find out if they can use her blood for a cure. The source material is one of the best selling video games of all time.

The Last of Us infects HBO Max on January 15. There are nine episodes and they’ll release every Sunday after the premiere.