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Source: HBO / The Last of Us
HBO’s The Last of Us exceptional first season is in the books but, as expected, left many with questions and wondering if we are getting a season two and if one of the first season’s stars is returning.
Right off the bat, we are happy to report that, yes, there is a second season coming. In a no-brainer decision, HBO renewed its new hit series based on the PlayStation video game franchise in January.
The one question lingering was if Bella Ramsey would return as Ellie. Speaking with Deadline, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckman (who wrote the video game) talked about Ramsey’s return and her backstory, plus the infected or lack thereof in the show.
One burning question many had about the show was why didn’t Joel and Ellie encounter waves of infected or clickers as the season went along. For those who played the game, there are numerous encounters with raiders, cannibals, and the infected.
In the show, we saw people infected by the cordyceps in the first episode when things first popped off, and sparingly in episodes. We saw a new idea that everyone infected is connected, and if you step on a live vine, you can trigger a swarm. We also saw how real sh*t gets when waves of hordes arrive and how bad that can be.
So it’s not like we didn’t see any infected in the show, but according to Mazin, it’s much more complicated than that.
Mazin Explains The Process of Turning A Game Into A TV Show
“Part of the adaptation process is trying to figure out how to take source material that was built around gameplay and port it over to a medium that is passive,” Mazin said. “And a lot of the gameplay centered on non-playable characters that you have to get around by either avoiding them or stealth killing them or just confronting them head-on. That’s sort of your choices when you’re playing. And the NPCs were either raiders or cannibals, or they were the infected.”
“So there’s a lot of fighting. I don’t know what your ultimate kill count is on a typical run of The Last of Us, but it’s in the triple digits for sure. So we did at times have choices to make about how we wanted to present the infected. I will say that even though we were green-lit for a season of television, Neil and I felt like we couldn’t just make a season of television without considering what would come after. ”
Mazin Says More Infected Is Coming In Season 2
He continues, “There is more The Last of Us to come. I think the balance is not always just about within an episode or even episode to episode, but season to season. It’s quite possible that there will be a lot more infected later. And perhaps different kinds. But within the episodes that we were concentrating on, I think ultimately, we generally stressed the power of relationships and trying to find significance within moments of action. So there may be less action than some people wanted because we couldn’t necessarily find significance for quite a bit of it, or [they had a] concern that it would be repetitive. After all, you’re not playing it, you’re watching it. And although a lot of people do like to watch gameplay, it needs to be a little bit more focused and purposeful when we’re putting it on TV.”
The Last of Us HBO also gave us a lot more information than the game did. In the season finale, we finally saw Ellie’s backstory and met her mother, played by Ashley Johnson (the voice actor of Ellie in the video game).
Neil Druckman Explains The Last of Us HBO Resurrected A Storyline Originally Set To Be Its Own Game
“So trying to come up with a story, I wrote this short script about Ellie’s mom and how she gave birth to Ellie, how she was bitten at the same time, and wasn’t sure if she was infected during that birth,” Neil Druckman said. “And it just became this little character drama that spoke to the same themes of parental love and how much you’re willing to do even at when you’re on death’s door. That deal fell apart. Then we were talking to another game company to potentially do it as a whole other game. That deal fell apart. Then I became interested in live-action, and I was talking to Ashley Johnson about her starring in it, and then we both got busy, so that fell apart.”
The Ellie’s Backstory Helped Build An Important Storyline In The Show
Druckman continues, “I just kind of forgot about it until Mr. Mazin and I started meeting to talk about the show. Craig was like, ‘What do you have that we haven’t seen? What is Ellie’s backstory?’ And I was just telling him all this stuff. I’m like, oh, right, there’s this other story about Ellie’s mom and blah, blah, blah. I just kind of told him about it. He’s like, ‘Oh my God, we, that has to go in the show.’ And then we talked about how would it fit.”
“Does it make sense to put it in now? It does gives some theories about why Ellie’s immune, even though we don’t answer that conclusively. But I think, more importantly, it builds the relationship between Marlene and [Ellie’s mom] Anna, so that when you get to the ending, and we pit Marlene against Joel, they have their own opposite philosophical terms over how to approach of the end justify the means. Anna’s dying wish was, take care of my kid. I think it gives it more weight and maybe shows more of the tragedy behind Marlene’s sacrifice, that she was trying to make for the betterment of mankind, “Druckman continued.
Bella Ramsey Will Be Back As Ellie
Speaking of Ellie, there was also a question if Bella Ramsey would return for season two. Mazin put all of that to rest, confirming the young actress will be picking up things right where season one left off.
“When she joined us, she was 17. She’s only, she’s 19 now. Which by the way is the age of Ellie in The Last of Us, part 2. People were like, ‘She doesn’t look like [Ellie]. I’m like, it doesn’t matter. Just watch what happens,” says Mazin.
He continues, “It will be the show that Neil and I wanna make. But we are making it with Bella.”
Well, there you have it.
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Photo: HBO / The Last of Us
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In a not-so-subtle response to Rolling Stone over criticism of his HBO dramatic series, The Weeknd blasted them as “irrelevant” with a clip from the show.
The Canadian singer shared a clip from the upcoming HBO series The Idol in which he stars alongside Lily Rose-Depp to his social media Tuesday (March 1). He tagged the publication and wrote, “Did we upset you?” in the caption.
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In the scene, The Weeknd plays Tedros, a modern-day cult leader who is listening to a pitch made by Dan Levy’s character for Jocelyn, the pop star played by Rose-Depp, to do a photo shoot for Rolling Stone.
“Rolling Stone? Aren’t they a little irrelevant? … Rolling Stone has six million followers on Instagram, half of them probably bots. And Jocelyn has 78 million followers, all real I’d assume. So she does a photo shoot, she tags them, they get her followers. More money for ‘Rolling Stone,’ nothing for Jocelyn,” he responds.
The 33-year-old superstar has been dealing with the aftermath of a scathing article criticizing the series from the publication. The article cites sources close to the production that describe it as highly chaotic, with claims that The Weeknd (who is also a producer on the show) wanted the focus to be more on him than his costar.
The Idol also underwent a change of director, with Sam Levinson stepping in to finish the six-episode season after Amy Seimetz left the production as it was 80% percent complete. The same sources then claim that the Euphoria director went over the top by ramping up the disturbing sexual content and weakening the target message of the show, which was meant to be satirical of the entertainment industry.
Representatives from The Weeknd’s team have dismissed the article as “rumors,” while HBO issued a lengthy statement: “The creators and producers of ‘The Idol’ have been working hard to create one of HBO’s most exciting and provocative original programs,” HBO said.
“The initial approach on the show and production of the early episodes, unfortunately, did not meet HBO standards so we chose to make a change. Throughout the process, the creative team has been committed to creating a safe, collaborative, and mutually respectful working environment, and last year, the team made creative changes they felt were in the best interest of both the production and the cast and crew. We look forward to sharing ‘The Idol’ with audiences soon.”
Although Linda Ronstadt won’t receive any kind of windfall for landing her breakthrough 1970 hit “Long Long Time” in the latest episode of HBO’s The Last of Us, the singer tells Billboard: “I still love the song and I’m very glad that Gary will get a windfall.” She’s referring to Gary White, the songwriter who first played it for Ronstadt in 1969.
After the episode aired Jan. 29, Spotify tweeted that streams jumped 4,900% between 11 p.m. and midnight; across all services, the track’s on-demand streaming increased from 8,000 the day before the episode to 149,000 the day after, according to Luminate. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer hasn’t seen the episode, but first heard about the synch deal when her manager, John Boylan, told her after a friend informed him about it. “I don’t follow social media or streaming services very closely,” Ronstadt says by email.
In March 2021, Ronstadt sold her recorded-music assets, including royalty streams from her master recordings and ownership of some masters, to uber-manager Irving Azoff‘s Iconic Artist Group. “She’s not unhappy about it, believe me,” says Boylan, her manager of 20 years and a longtime producer who performed with Ronstadt throughout her career. “We sold her catalog. The last four or five years have been a complete tsunami of buyouts like this.”
The HBO-placement notoriety will help Ronstadt’s upcoming projects, Boylan says, including a planned biopic with James Keach, who produced the 2019 documentary Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice. Ronstadt has never owned the master for “Long Long Time,” Boylan adds, due to her Capitol Records contract. But it was her first Billboard hit, peaking at No. 25 and remaining on the charts for 12 weeks. (Neither White nor his publisher, Universal Music Publishing Group, responded to interview requests.)
Ronstadt, 76, who suffers from a brain disorder called progressive supranuclear palsy, which resembles Parkinson’s Disease, recalled the song’s history via answers to email questions. “I met Gary through guitarist David Bromberg, who took me to the Café Au Go Go in Greenwich Village to see Gary performing with [the late singer-songwriter] Paul Siebel. After the show, Gary played me ‘Long Long Time’ and I immediately wanted to record it,” she says. “It wasn’t a country song, wasn’t a folk song, or a rock song, but I thought it was a really good song.”
“Long Long Time,” which appeared three separate times in the The Last of Us episode, is the soundtrack for actors Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett’s first meeting, playing the song on a piano, kissing and starting a long-term relationship. It’s the latest in a string of streaming-TV catalog tracks to unexpectedly dominate pop culture, from Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” in last spring’s Stranger Things to the Cramps’ version of “Goo Goo Muck” in last fall’s Wednesday.
Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett on The Last of Us.
Liane Hentscher/HBO
Boylan recalls playing “Long Long Time” on acoustic guitar with Ronstadt during a 1970 Washington, D.C., rally before thousands of people. “I was nervous,” he says. “She held that crowd with just that voice and her acoustic guitar.”
The Last of Us is not the first “Long Long Time” revival. Harry Belafonte, Mindy McCready and Jerry Jeff Walker have covered it, and it was in movies and a 1975 episode of The Rockford Files. “I liked Gary singing it live,” Ronstadt says, “but I don’t know any other versions.”
Arthur Hanlon does it again. After thrilling audiences with his 2021 HBO Max special Piano y Mujer, the “gringo with a Latin soul” returns in time for the holidays with Piano y Mujer II, along with a diverse group of Latin female stars that includes reggaetón queen Ivy Queen and Mexican sibling duo Ha*Ash.
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The special concert, which also features Costa Rican singer/songwriter Debi Nova, Colombian singer Catalina García (of eclectic popsters Monsieur Periné) and Mexican singer Lupita Infante, is out Nov. 25 in album format on Sony Music Latin, and will stream on HBO Max beginning Nov. 29.
“I’m extremely proud. When we filmed the first Piano y Mujer, it was like a tribute and a celebration of strong, intelligent and creative women, like the women in my home,” Hanlon told Billboard. “I grew up with three sisters, my mom and my grandmother in the house – five women who listened to me play the piano every single day, who pushed me and supported me. Now, with this second concert, I am so very happy.”
The first Piano y Mujer, where Hanlon had Kany García, Natalia Jiménez, Goyo, Evaluna Montaner and Nella as guests, is still streaming on HBO Max. This makes the piano virtuoso the only music artist currently with two concerts available simultaneously on the streaming service.
Pianist Arthur Hanlon and Catalina Garcia during the HBO Max concert special “Piano y Mujer II”
Basilio Silva
Piano y Mujer II was filmed on a stage decorated with an exuberant garden, where each female artist took turns to sing next to Hanlon, accompanied by an all-female band, performing both Latin standards and new versions of their own hits. The repertoire includes classics like “Bésame mucho” by Consuelo Velázquez (Catalina García), “Quizás quizás quizás” by Osvaldo Farrés (Debi Nova) and “Ya te olvidé” by Marco Antonio Solís and originally recorded by Rocío Dúrcal, performed here by Ivy Queen in one of her most sublime renditions. New takes on current hits include “Lo Aprendí de Ti” (Ha*Ash) and “La Canción” (García).
“The formula is a smash hit by each singer, and a second song that each of them have always wanted to sing,” explains Hanlon, who did all the musical arrangements and co-produced along with Eddie Pérez.
For example, Ha*Ash, the duo of Mexican-American singers Ashley and Hannah Pérez, harmonize beautifully on their hit “Lo aprendí de ti” and also on a gorgeous version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” And Lupita Infante shines with a powerful bilingual rendition of Harry Nilsson’s “Without You.” The ’70s star had recorded a little known Spanish version of the song, titled “Sin Ti,” before the English version became a hit in the 1990s when Mariah Carey covered the song.
Hanlon met Nilsson when he moved to Los Angeles as a young pianist fresh out of Manhattan School of Music who dreamt of a recording career in Latin music. Nilsson, says Hanlon, became a kind of mentor, and personally played him the Spanish version of “Without You.”
“He was way ahead of his time,” says the pianist. “I was very impressed […] And now, when we were looking for the right song, I remembered that one. I thought, now is really the perfect time to record this, with someone like Lupita who’s an amazing vocalist.”
Hanlon also performs two of his own compositions: The instrumental track “Toccata,” which he wrote in Colombia during the Feria de Cali, inspired by the music he heard late at night; and “We’re Going To Make It Tonight,” a bilingual song conceived especially to close the concert and performed by all the guests together onstage.
In the video, Hanlon says the seeds for Piano y Mujer were planted during his teen years in Detroit, where, as a 15-year-old, he played in a local band at events and parties. Often, when hosts couldn’t afford the full band, Hanlon’s agent would offer the pianist with a female singer. Being able to bring that concept to life in a big way with not one but two HBO specials “is a dream come true,” says Hanlon.
Piano y Mujer II took about six months to bring to life, from January 2021, when the project was approved, until July, when it was filmed in a Miami studio. Hanlon says it was important to him, particularly coming out of the pandemic, to take time to personally meet with every one of the singers and work on the arrangements.
“I feel people know when something has been forced or rushed,” he says. “I totally believe in connecting over empanadas, coffee and wine.”
With so many great female Latin artists, and such a rich and wide songbook, he hopes for new renditions of the project.
“Some of my artist friends have said, ‘Ay Arthur, how cool, congratulations — and what about me?’” he says with a laugh.
“For me, the thrill of the music, is that the piano, more than an instrument, is a vehicle to transport people to another place, and with these women I have the opportunity to do so. This project is out of this world for me.”
Pianist Arthur Hanlon and Debi Nova during the HBO Max concert special “Piano y Mujer II”
Basilio Silva
Y Mujer… The Guest Artists Speak
Catalina García: One of the beautiful things for me was to return to the origin of the song: The voice, accompanied by such a special instrument, which can create rhythm and harmony. And of course, knowing it’s a project that honors women as interpreters and composers, and of course, being part of a group of powerful women who have listened to each other during our lives.
Ha*Ash: It’s always a pleasure and a joy to work with Arthur and we feel honored to be part of this beautiful project with him and such talented women. We were able to perform “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” a song that is particularly significant for us, and that made the experience all the more special.
Lupita Infante: When he brought me the song and he told me the story behind it and why it’s so special to him, I knew we were making history together. I’d never heard a Spanish version of “Without You” and when I did, it brought tears to my eyes.
Debi Nova: The experience of being part of Piano y Mujer II was wonderful. Not only is Arthur a musician I profoundly admire, but I also have the honor to be surrounded by women who greatly inspire me. Both songs I perform are very close to my heart.
Ivy Queen: For me it’s about listening to my songs in different way, from a different perspective, because I feel the piano is as pure as the guitar, as intimate and romance. And we gave my song a different twist here.
Editor’s Note: Hanlon is married to Billboard’s Chief Content Officer, Latin/Espãnol, Leila Cobo.
Four years ago on Oct. 27, a gunman killed 11 people after opening fire in a Pittsburgh synagogue. The deadliest antisemitic attack in American history is examined in the HBO Original documentary film, A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting, which debuts Wednesday (Oct. 26) at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.
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The documentary, directed by Emmy Award-winner Trish Adlesic and executive produced by Michael Keaton, Mark Cuban and Billy Porter, looks not only at the horrible act of violence, but how the community and people of all faiths came together to rebuild and learn from the past through interviews with those who survived the shooting, local leaders and more. It also looks at how antisemitic groups feel empowered in today’s climate.
The film features “A Tree of Life,” an original song performed by Idina Menzel, which she and her songwriting partner Kate Diaz, wrote specifically for the project. Premiering below, the song addresses the Pittsburgh shooting, but also expands to a broader embrace of humanity.
Adlesic approached Menzel about writing the song. “When I saw [the documentary], the bravery of the attack’s survivors and family members in telling such a difficult and personal story moved me beyond words,” Menzel tells Billboard via email. “I immediately recruited my songwriting collaborator Kate Diaz, and we asked Trish to send us three words for inspiration in writing the song. She sent: honor, tribute, unity. I wanted to use my music not only to support and honor these courageous souls, but to make sure the film reaches across the globe to inspire action on anti-semitism and hate in all forms.”
As Menzel notes, the horror perpetrated that day and the response goes far beyond the individual shooting. “I am Jewish and the film touched me in a very personal way,” she says. “However, I wrote this song because the film’s story is a human one. The film starts out telling an American-Jewish story, then a Pittsburgh story, and now in its ultimate form the film is a universal story told through the voices of the family members of those so wrongfully taken and those that survived on October 27th, 2018.”
Menzel continues, “The question of how we respond to the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting and what actions we must take to ensure that it never happens again goes directly to the heart of America’s democracy. If any one of us is truly to be safe and free, then we have to ensure freedom and safety for all of our neighbors, regardless of creed, race, class, gender, sexuality, or ethnicity.”
Following its HBO premiere, the documentary will be available to stream on HBO Max.