New behind-the-scenes images of HBO’s The Last of Us show terrifying practical costumes for the clickers. The upcoming horror drama is based on the critically-acclaimed 2013 PlayStation 3 video game of the same name and follows rugged survivor Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) as he escorts 14-year-old orphan Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across a post-apocalyptic United States plagued with a fungal infection. After a smuggling deal falls through, Joel and his partner Tess (Anna Torv) are enlisted by Marlene (Merle Dandridge) to deliver Ellie to the Fireflies, a militant revolutionary group that seeks to use Ellie’s rare natural immunity to create a vaccine in order to save the world.
Empire (via @HBOsTheLastOfUs) recently released behind-the-scenes images from The Last of Us featuring the show’s terrifying practical clicker costumes. In original The Last of Us video games, clickers are the third stage of the deadly Cordyceps infection. The vicious creatures are called clickers due to the clicking sound they produce for echolocation allowing them to navigate their surroundings and seek out their prey. In the first image, The Last of Us adaptation’s co-creator, Neil Druckmann, the original game creator, directs an actor in full clicker makeup on the show’s Boston museum set. The second image features the show’s co-creator Craig Mazin with an actor who appears to play a woman who was recently infected.
How Practical Effects Help The Last of Us
Advancements in computer-generated imagery have allowed filmmakers to achieve what was previously thought impossible. This can currently be seen with writer-director James Cameron who continuously pushes the limits of VFX in his visual showcase, the Avatar franchise. However, CGI still retains an uncanny valley element to its appearance.
Trailers and promotional materials have shown the lengths HBO’s production went into physically building the world of The Last of Us. Early set images and videos show how faithful the show has been in recreating environments and costumes from the original video game. The show’s prosthetics designer, Barrie Gower, previously expressed his excitement about creating the monsters for the series and teasing their authenticity to the original game.
Although Mazin and Druckmann have promised a faithful adaptation of The Last of Us, they have also hinted at mind-blowing new additions as well as sequences previously cut from the game inserted into the show. The creators also teased a completely new infected stage created specifically for the upcoming television adaptation. With The Last of Us premiere two weeks away, audiences do not have to wait much longer to see the vicious clickers brought to life.
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