Steve Pond's Blog, page 140

Marcel Ophuls, Oscar-Winning Director of ‘The Sorrow and the Pity,’ Dies at 97

Marcel Ophuls, the documentary filmmaker behind the incisive WWII films “The Sorrow and the Pity” and “Hotel Terminus,” has died at his home in France at the age of 97, according to the Associated Press.

Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Ophuls fled his home country in 1933 following the rise of the Nazis with his family, including famed director Max Ophuls. The family stayed in France until the Nazis invaded in 1940, eventually arriving in Los Angeles just as the U.S. entered the war in December 1941.

After graduating from Occidental College and UC Berkeley, Ophuls returned with his family to France in 1950 and entered the film industry, working with directors such as Julien Duvivier, John Huston and Francois Truffaut well into the mid 1960s.

But his claim to fame started when he pivoted to documentary filmmaking and television news reporting following a series of box office disappointments. In 1969, he released his groundbreaking, iconoclastic film “The Sorrow and the Pity,” which interviewed everyday French people as well as officers during WWII about life inside Nazi-occupied France.

“The Sorrow and the Pity” was credited for being the first documentary to critically examine France’s response as a nation to the threat of the Nazis, examining how everyday people respond to the threat of tyranny and how difficult it can be to speak out and act against it.

It ran contrary to France’s postwar self-image of itself as one where defiance was widespread despite the collaboration of leaders like Marshall Phillippe Petain, and instead presented an image of France where collaboration and complicity with Hitler’s forces could be seen amongst everyday people.

While the film was commissioned for a government-run TV station, executive Jean-Jacques de Bresson refused to air the film because it “destroys myths that the people of France still need.” The film was not publicly released in theaters until a few months after the death of French president and resistance leader Charles de Gaulle in November 1970 and wasn’t aired on TV until 1981. Still, the film was well-received abroad, winning a BAFTA and earning an Oscar nomination.

Ophuls later won an Academy Award for his 1988 documentary “Hotel Terminus,” which recounted the story of Nazi Gestapo officer Klaus Barbie. The officer was accused of torturing Jews and French Resistance members personally while serving as the head of the Gestapo in Lyon, with the film’s name derived from the hotel where he was accused of committing his war crimes.

Through interviews with torture survivors, eyewitnesses, journalists, investigators, and former government officials, “Hotel Terminus” recounted not only Barbie’s accused crimes, but also his escape to Bolivia with the help of American counterintelligence officials who saw him as an asset against the spread of communism. Barbie was arrested in 1983 and extradited to France, where he was sentenced to life in prison.

In “Hotel Terminus,” Ophuls highlights the contradicting descriptions of Barbie, with descriptions from survivors of how he tortured them alongside those who spoke fondly of him and how he was useful to the Allied nations after the war, particularly to the U.S. Roger Ebert praised the film as “the film of a man who continues the conversation after others would like to move on to more polite subjects.”

In 2015, Ophuls received the Berlinale Camera award at the Berlin Film Festival in recognition of his life’s work. One of the last projects of his career, and which went unfinished, was a film in which he had intended to explore Israel’s occupation of Palestine alongside Israeli filmmaker Eyal Sivan.

Ophuls is is survived by his wife, Régine, their three daughters, and three grandchildren.

The post Marcel Ophuls, Oscar-Winning Director of ‘The Sorrow and the Pity,’ Dies at 97 appeared first on TheWrap.

Where to Watch the American Music Awards Live: Is It Streaming?

The American Music Awards are back after a three year hiatus with Jennifer Lopez at the helm.

The AMAs is the world’s largest fan-voted award show honoring today’s most influential artists. This Memorial Day, the awards show will honor the U.S. troops and veterans with performances and tributes throughout the show.

Created by legendary producer Dick Clark in 1974, the AMAs have delivered iconic performances, looks and speeches for 50 years. Last October CBS aired the “American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special,” celebrating the awards show’s impact on pop culture.

To learn more about where to watch the American Music Awards this Memorial Day, keep reading:

When do the AMAs air?

The American Music Awards will air live from Las Vegas Monday, May 26 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.

Where can I watch the awards show?

The music awards show will air on the CBS and stream on Paramount+.

The show will also livestream online on Harmony, via Rolling Stone, Billboard, among other digital Penske media publications.

In order to watch live on Paramount+, you’ll need a Paramount+ With Showtime subscription. If you just have a regular Paramount+ account, you can watch the AMAs on demand on Tuesday.

Where can I catch the show if I miss it?

If you miss the show airing live, the 2025 American Music Awards will play on MTV Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, CMT Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET and BET Thursday at 10 p.m. ET.

Who will be hosting?

Jennifer Lopez will return to host the awards show for the second time since her first stint in 2015. The hostess will also perform to open the show.

Who are the nominees?

Kendrick Lamar leads this year’s nominees with 10 nominations, followed closely by Post Malone, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, and Shaboozey.

Janet Jackson will be honored with the Icon Award, and Rod Stewart will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. Both icons will perform on the awards show, too.

Who is performing?

In addition to JLo, Jackson and Stewart, Benson Boone, Blake Shelton, Gloria Estefan, Gwen Stefani, Lainey Wilson and Reneé Rapp will take the stage at the 51st American Music Awards.

Who is presenting?

Alix Earle, Cara Delevingne, Ciara, Dan + Shay, Dylan Efron, Jordan Chiles, Kai Cenat, Megan Moroney, Nikki Glaser, Shaboozey, Tiffany Haddish and Wayne Brady will present at the music awards show. More surprise presenters have yet to be announced.

The post Where to Watch the American Music Awards Live: Is It Streaming? appeared first on TheWrap.

Netflix Takes Richard Linklater’s ‘Nouvelle Vague’ for $4 Million After Buzzy Cannes Debut

Netflix has acquired Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague” after its buzzy debut at the Cannes Film Festival, TheWrap has learned. The deal was in the $4 million range and will see the movie, which chronicles the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s French New Wave classic “Breathless,” released directly on the streamer with an awards-qualifying two-week run in theaters.

Most of the reviews of Linklater’s film were glowing, with TheWrap’s Ben Croll singling out Linklater’s impeccable craft as he chronicles the making of “Breathless” in the style of “Breathless,” complete with French-language dialogue.

Croll wrote: “A labor of love and a product of considerable craft, Richard Linklater’s ‘Nouvelle Vague’ — which chronicles the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s ‘Breathless’ — is more than just a valentine to the French New Wave; the film is also a stealth showcase for a filmmaker rarely heralded (or for that matter, tribuned) for his technical sophistication. Indeed, without ever calling too much attention to its more than 300 VFX-shots, Linklater’s latest plays as a hang-out film from a world gone by – a ramble across 1950s Paris that ushers viewers into the nearest café, inviting them to pull up a seat.”

This isn’t Linklater’s first collaboration with Netflix — the streamer picked up his independently made “Hit Man” starring Glen Powell and released that in 2024 to success.

Linklater also has his Ethan Hawke-starring “Blue Moon” hitting theaters in October from Sony Pictures Classics.

The post Netflix Takes Richard Linklater’s ‘Nouvelle Vague’ for $4 Million After Buzzy Cannes Debut appeared first on TheWrap.

What Time Are the American Music Awards 2025?

The American Music Awards are kicking off summer with some of the biggest artists in music live from Las Vegas this Memorial Day.

Jennifer Lopez returns to host the awards show after its three year hiatus. She last hosted the fan-voted awards show in 2015.

This year’s AMAs will air live from Las Vegas on CBS and Paramount+ with Showtime Monday night at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.

Kendrick Lamar led this year’s nominees with 10 for his album “GNX.” Post Malone followed closely behind the rapper with eight nominations for his country album “F-1 Trillion.” Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and Shaboozey each earned seven nominations across categories for their respective works this year.

The AMAs is the world’s largest fan-voted award show honoring the most influential artists in American music. This Memorial Day, the awards show will also honor the U.S. troops and veterans with performances and tributes throughout the show.

Janet Jackson will be honored with the Icon Award, and Rod Stewart will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. Both icons will also perform on the awards show.

JLo, Benson Boone, Blake Shelton, Gloria Estefan, Gwen Stefani, Lainey Wilson and Reneé Rapp will all take the stage at the 51st American Music Awards. The night will also feature special guest appearances from Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Green Day, Brad Paisley and Samuel L. Jackson.

Created by legendary producer Dick Clark in 1974, the AMAs have delivered iconic performances, looks and speeches for 50 years. Last October CBS aired the “American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special,” celebrating the awards show’s impact on pop culture. The special was one of the most-watched entertainment specials of the year, averaging over 6.1 million viewers — up 53% from the 2022 telecast on ABC.

The post What Time Are the American Music Awards 2025? appeared first on TheWrap.

‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Finale Viewership Down 55% From Season 1

HBO’s “The Last of Us” Season 2 finale aired to half the audience that tuned into the Season 1 finale of the video game adaptation, as Sunday’s season closer saw 3.7 million cross-platform viewers. That’s down 55% from the Season 1 finale, which scored 8.2 million cross-platform viewers, then an impressive feat given that it aired opposite the Oscars.

Season 2 premiered to 5.3 million cross-platform viewers.

HBO cautions that “The Last of Us” Season 2 finale viewership is expected to grow due to low tune-ins on the holiday weekend, and stressed that the franchise overall has seen 90 million viewers since Season 1 ended. Season 2 is tallying nearly 37 million global viewers per episode.

The show has already been renewed for Season 3.

Season 2 shocked many viewers (but not gamers) by killing off Pedro Pascal’s protagonist Joel in its second episode, switching lead characters to Bella Ramsey’s Ellie for the rest of the season. This storyline mirrored what happened in the games, a move that drilled down the themes of grief-driven revenge but still proved challenging for some who were attached to Joel.

The show is once again due for a switch-up in Season 3, with Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby due to become a major central force.

“There is another side to this story that we have yet to really delve into. And there’s no question that Abby is the hero of her story. Where we go next, all I can say is it will always be centering on somebody, whether it’s Ellie and Dina or whether it’s Abby,” co-creator Craig Mazin said during a press conference tied to the Season 2 finale. “But really, if you want to boil it down, everything is under the cloud or sunlight of Joel — what Joel did to Abby and what Joel did for Ellie — and that will never change.”

The post ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Finale Viewership Down 55% From Season 1 appeared first on TheWrap.

Billy Joel’s Wife Shares ‘Hopeful’ Update After Brain Disorder Diagnosis

Bill Joel’s family is “hopeful” for his recovery and “grateful for the wonderful care and swift diagnosis” he received from doctors, the singer’s wife, Alexis Roderick Joel, said in her first comments since he announced he was battling a brain disorder.

Roderick Joel, in a post on the “Piano Man” performer’s Instagram account on Monday, also thanked his fans for their support. The accompanying picture showed Joel and his wife smiling with their two daughters, Della Rose and Remy Anne, while standing on a dock in a harbor.

“Thank you for the outpouring of love and support. We are so grateful for the wonderful care and swift diagnosis we received,” she posted. “Bill is beloved by so many, and to us, he is a father and husband who is at the center of our world. We are hopeful for his recovery.”

She added: “We look forward to seeing you all in the future.”

Three days earlier, on May 23, Joel announced he was suffering from Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, a neurological condition that forced him to cancel 17 stadium shows across England and North America.

The condition occurs when cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the brain, leading to the enlargement of the brain’s ventricles. NPH often leads to issues like cognitive impairment, a difficult time walking, and urinary incontinence.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Billy Joel (@billyjoel)

“I’m sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience,” the singer said in a statement on his canceled concerts.

“This condition has been exacerbated by recent concert performances, leading to problems with hearing, vision and balance,” his team added. “Under his doctor’s instructions, Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period. Billy is thankful for the excellent care he is receiving and is fully committed to prioritizing his health.”

The canceled shows come after Joel previously postponed his tour in March, soon after he collapsed onstage at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.

“Billy Joel: And So It Goes” is scheduled to open this year’s Tribeca Festival on June 4 at the Beacon Theatre.

The documentary about the legendary musician’s life and career comes from directors Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin, who weave rare, never-before-seen archival footage with candid, soul-baring interviews from the entertainer. In a statement shared with TheWrap later on Friday, Tribeca Festival co-founders Jane Rosenthal and Robert De Niro wished Joel a fast recovery and celebrated him as a “New York icon and global music legend.”

The post Billy Joel’s Wife Shares ‘Hopeful’ Update After Brain Disorder Diagnosis appeared first on TheWrap.

After ‘Dead Reckoning’ Criticism, ‘Mission: Impossible’ Director Tried to Make ‘Final Reckoning’ Non-Linear – But It Didn’t Work

“Mission: Impossible” writer/director Christopher McQuarrie and franchise star/producer Tom Cruise heard the criticisms of 2023’s “Dead Reckoning” loud and clear, and made very concerted efforts to ensure 2025’s “The Final Reckoning” reached the series’ high bar for quality.  The problem was, once they got into the editing room, McQuarrie and Cruise realized one of their big gambles on “The Final Reckoning” didn’t work.

“We looked at the film very, very critically and said, ‘OK where could we have done better?’” McQuarrie told Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, noting that it would have been easy to blame “Barbenheimer” on the somewhat disappointing box office for “Dead Reckoning” (it grossed $571 million worldwide vs. $874 million for “Fallout”) but they wanted to listen to the audience.

Paramount made one change for the next film – instead of “Dead Reckoning – Part 2,” the eighth film in the franchise was retitled “The Final Reckoning” and the seventh film retroactively dropped the “Part 1.”

The next order of business for McQuarrie and Cruise was to try to make this new movie shorter.

“We then said alright let’s try to make a shorter movie out of this one, and we pivoted and deconstructed the entire movie and I built a non-linear version of this film and shot it to be non-linear in order to move certain critical scenes earlier in this story, particularly Mt. Weather, the scene with Ethan and the president because that’s where Ethan’s journey kicks off.”

But best laid plans and all that – the assembled cut of “The Final Reckoning” that told the story out of order didn’t play.

“It was very clear as soon as we assembled it, it did not work. So Tom said, ‘Just make it linear.’ I made it linear, it did not work,” McQuarrie continued. “And when I made it linear, why it didn’t work is every scene you put first was a scene where they were talking about The Entity before you knew what The Entity was. Which is why we then created that opening, that cold intro that just says here it is.”

Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie on the set of “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” (Paramount Pictures)

The fix was to create the current opening of the film, which uses voiceover to explain what The Entity is, what it wants and how it operates so that when the rest of the movie kicked into gear, the audience was up to speed.

Other planned narrative threads from “Dead Reckoning” also fell by the wayside, namely the backstory between Cruise’s Ethan Hunt and Esai Morales’ villainous Gabriel.

“Everything in the movie that you have questions about, we shot the s—t out of. We hate exposition but we don’t avoid it, and we shoot it and overshoot it and overinform and overinclude and then are constantly pulling back how much do you need to know. The truth of the matter was that flash to it at the beginning of the story coincides with a line of exposition that summarizes what that is.”

McQuarrie also said the delays that pushed “The Final Reckoning” further away from the release of “Dead Reckoning” gave them “permission” to make the eighth film a standalone entry.

“I shot a backstory, I shot a sequence that told you a little bit more about their relationship and the truth of the matter was that unless I made that movie, it’s always going to feel somewhat ambiguous and open-ended anyway so we just said screw it,” he continued. “The other thing is we knew that because of the strikes and everything else, we were that much farther away from ‘Dead Reckoning.’ If it had come out the following summer, that would’ve been different. But there was so much distance on the movie, that gave us the permission we needed to just let ‘Dead Reckoning’ go and make this a standalone movie.”

Watch the full interview below.

The post After ‘Dead Reckoning’ Criticism, ‘Mission: Impossible’ Director Tried to Make ‘Final Reckoning’ Non-Linear – But It Didn’t Work appeared first on TheWrap.

Phil Robertson, ‘Duck Dynasty’ Star, Dies at 79

Phil Robertson, the star and patriarch of reality TV series “Duck Dynasty,” has died at the age of 79.

A cause of death was not stated, but Robertson’s family revealed in December that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Robertson’s daughter-in-law Korie Robertson posted the news of his death to Facebook Sunday. “We celebrate today that our father, husband, and grandfather, Phil Robertson, is now with the Lord,” she wrote. “He reminded us often of the words of Paul, ‘you do not grieve like those who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.'”

A professional hunter and a businessman, Robertson rose to prominence as the star of the A&E reality series “Duck Dynasty” when it launched in 2012, which followed the family running the successful business that he started, Duck Commander. Robertson became a vocal figure for the Conservative movement in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, first endorsing Ted Cruz and then Donald Trump for president and frequently appearing at rallies.

Robertson was suspended from “Duck Dynasty” after saying in an interview that homosexual behavior was sinful. A&E lifted the suspension after nine days.

An autobiographical film about Robertson’s early life and Christian faith, “The Blind,” was released in 2023.

Read Korie Robertson’s note in full below:

“We celebrate today that our father, husband, and grandfather, Phil Robertson, is now with the Lord,” she wrote. “He reminded us often of the words of Paul, ‘you do not grieve like those who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.’

Thank you for the love and prayers of so many whose lives have been impacted by his life saved by grace, his bold faith, and by his desire to tell everyone who would listen the Good News of Jesus. We are grateful for his life on earth and will continue the legacy of love for God and love for others until we see him again.

We know so many of you love him and have been impacted by his life. We’re having a private service for now, but we’ll share details soon about a public celebration of his life.”

The post Phil Robertson, ‘Duck Dynasty’ Star, Dies at 79 appeared first on TheWrap.

How to Watch ‘The Librarians: The Next Chapter’: Christian Kane Explains | Video

A new set of Librarians, an ancient group that keeps mystical artifacts from falling into the hands of evildoers, is ready to protect Europe, solve murders and meet King Arthur in “The Librarians: The Next Chapter.”

“The Librarians” original star Christian Kane is back (briefly) as Jacob Stone, who brings the newbies up to speed on the fact that yes, there are such things as lost souls, demons and magic.

The rollout schedule is complicated by several playoffs, including the NBA and the NHL, so we’ve included this handy video (embedded blow) from Kane to explain the multiple ways the Librarians might be time traveling across your TV schedule.

When does “The Librarians: The Next Chapter” premiere?

The spinoff debuts on TNT with a two-night premiere event starting on Sunday, May 25 following NBA Playoffs coverage, with episode two premiering on Monday, May 26 as soon as the NHL Playoffs end, or approximately 11:30 p.m ET and 8:30 p.m. PT both nights.

June 9 and June 16 may see the show bumped to a later slot again for more NHL action if the Stanley Cup is still up for grabs

Subsequent episodes, beginning on June 30, will air in their regular slot of Monday nights at 9 p.m ET/PT.

Is “The Librarians: The Next Chapter” on streaming?

TNT cable subscribers are able to stream on their chosen device, but the channel does not have a separate streaming platform.

What is “The Librarians: The Next Chapter” about?

The new series focuses on Vikram Chamberlain (Callum McGowan), a Librarian from 1847 who now finds himself stuck in the present.

When Vikram returns to his castle in Belgrade, Serbia, he inadvertently releases magic across Europe. With the help of his new team, which includes a brillant historian, a scientific genius and a highly skilled Guardian, he has only six months to set things right.

Per TNT, the season will include Agatha Christie-style murders, time travel to the days of King Arthur in Camelot and an encounter with the first-ever vampire.

Who’s in “The Librarians: The Next Chapter”?

The 12-part series stars Callum McGowan, Jessica Green as Charlie Cornwall,, Olivia Morris as Lysa Pascal and Bluey Robinson as Connor Green. Caroline Loncq guest stars as Elaine Astolat and Kane guests as Jacob Stone.

Watch the trailer 

The post How to Watch ‘The Librarians: The Next Chapter’: Christian Kane Explains | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

‘The Last of Us’ Creators on What’s Next After Deadly Finale Cliffhanger: ‘This Is Going to Be a Different Show Every Season’

Note: This story contains spoilers from “The Last of Us” Season 2, Episode 7.

Sunday’s action-packed Season 2 finale of HBO’s “The Last of Us” finally saw the return of Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby as she and Ellie finally came face-to-face in Seattle.

Episode 7 saw the latter’s revenge quest take her to the Seattle aquarium, where she killed Abby’s friends Owen and Mel. After ditching Jesse earlier in the episode, he and Tommy finally catch up to a now distraught Ellie, who realizes that Mel was pregnant.

But after returning to the theater, Tommy says that they got what they deserved and the trio decide they’ll head home in the morning and let Abby alive — which Ellie begrudgingly accepts. But then Abby shows up for her own revenge, killing Jesse and holding Tommy and Ellie at gunpoint.

Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in “The Last of Us” Season 2 finale (Liane Hentscher/HBO)

Ellie tosses her weapon and confesses that she killed Abby’s friends and takes the blame for Joel’s actions in the Season 1 finale. Abby replies, “I let you live and you wasted it!,” and points her gun at Ellie. But as the gunshot goes off their feud is left on a cliffhanger as everything cuts to black. The final moment transports viewers back to Seattle Day 1, but this time from Abby’s perspective.

“There is another side to this story that we have yet to really delve into. And there’s no question that Abby is the hero of her story. Where we go next, all I can say is it will always be centering on somebody, whether it’s Ellie and Dina or whether it’s Abby,” co-creator Craig Mazin said. “But really, if you want to boil it down, everything is under the cloud or sunlight of Joel — what Joel did to Abby and what Joel did for Ellie — and that will never change.”

A natural end point

When it came to adapting “The Last of Us Part II,” Mazin and co-creator Neil Druckmann had many discussions about how they wanted to structure the second season of the HBO series, including where to end it. Ultimately, where they landed felt like a “natural end point,” Druckmann said.

“Had we ended the season somewhere else, like a few moments before, I think that we wouldn’t be making the right promise of what this is about,” he explained. “We’re telling you next season that one, there’s just an epic nature to what’s about to happen, but also this other story is going to be really important coming back to Joel and Ellie and everything that you’ve seen so far.”

“We considered everything,” Mazin added. “Of course, you want to play around, like, maybe we should just interlace the stories, maybe we should just go back and forth, maybe we should try this, maybe try that. And then in the end, I just remember saying, ‘Isn’t this part of the genetics of how this story functions?’ It’s just part of the genetics.”

Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in “The Last of Us” Season 2 finale (Liane Hentscher/HBO)

Much like killing off Pedro Pascal’s Joel early on, ending Season 2 on the cliffhanger moment and setting up a shift in perspective to Abby for Season 3 was a risk that HBO was willing to back.

“They understand that this show is going to be a different show every season, which is a sort of a tricky thing to do when you’re a hit show,” Mazin said.

Making changes

Despite sticking to many of the major story beats of the source material, the Season 2 finale episode also features a fair number of changes.

Among them were Ellie’s terrifying detour to the Seraphite island where she’s nearly lynched, which Druckmann said was material left on the cutting room floor from when he was developing the game.

Bella Ramsey in “The Last of Us” Season 2, Episode 7 (Liane Hentscher/HBO)

The finale also spared two animals from the video game: Ellie’s horse Shimmer, who Jesse revealed is alive and well; and Alice, Mel and Owen’s dog who Ellie stabs to death when she first enters the aquarium.

“We had like three horrible things in a row: that [Seraphite] sequence, Alice and then Mel,” Druckmann said. “And in our conversation, we’re like [Alice is] probably one too many.”

“There are two cardinal rules in Hollywood. One, don’t spend your own money. Two, don’t kill a dog,” Mazin said. “It’s very disturbing. And we know what was going to happen to Mel and Owen was disturbing and also what had just happened to Ellie was disturbing.

“You don’t want to feel exploitative, you don’t want to feel like you’ve crossed some line, so you make some choices,” he added.

Sealed fates

Despite sparing the animals, the deaths of Mel, Owen and Jesse were key moments from the source material that were always going to be included.

When asked if the pair ever considered sparing the latter from the death for the HBO adaptation, Druckmann said, “I don’t think we ever entertained an alternative. His fate was always sealed.”

As for the death of Mel, Druckmann admits that it was made even darker in the show than in the game. “But sometimes we have to go there,” he said. “It was important for this moment if you’re rooting for Ellie to make you feel dirty, because that’s what collateral damage does.”

Spencer Lord as Owen in “The Last of Us” Season 2 finale (Liane Hentscher/HBO)

“I think it’s clear to [Ellie] that Mel didn’t deserve to die. Mel didn’t hurt her, Mel didn’t hold her down, Mel didn’t hurt Joel,” Mazin explained. “Even more than that, we saw before Ellie shows up in the room [in episode 2], Mel is trying to help and is horrified by what Abby is doing and tries to stop it and fails, which is her own shame.”

“I think it’s important for people to see that it’s not like Ellie is going ‘I’m cool, whatever, it happened, let’s keep going for Abby.’ This breaks her,” he added.

Moving forward in moral trouble

When it comes to what to expect in Season 3, Mazin said Ellie and Abby are both moving forward in “moral trouble.”

“Their certainty is beginning to fail them, and we can see it here with Ellie for sure, because faced with the consequences of the things she’s done and people that didn’t deserve to die, she’s starting to feel maybe a swing of the pendulum, and we don’t know where these two are going to end,” he explained. “What I would hope the audience feels is that they are not done. They’re not done growing, or they are not done falling. We’ll have to wait and see which it is.”

“All I can say is we haven’t seen the last of Kaitlyn Dever and we haven’t seen the last of Bella Ramsey,” Mazin added. “And we haven’t seen the last of Isabela Merced and we haven’t even seen the last of a lot of people who are currently dead in the story.”

“The Last of Us” Seasons 1-2 are now streaming on Max.

The post ‘The Last of Us’ Creators on What’s Next After Deadly Finale Cliffhanger: ‘This Is Going to Be a Different Show Every Season’ appeared first on TheWrap.