Latest news with #postApocalyptic
The Independent
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
28 Years Later's Ralph Fiennes hints at why role could defy fan expectations
has hinted that his role in 28 Years Later may surprise fans of the post-apocalyptic horror series. The actor, 62, plays Dr. Kelson — a character seen covered in blood in teaser images — in the sequel set almost 30 years after the 'rage' virus escaped a medical research laboratory. Speaking to Alex Jones and Roman Kemp on Monday's (2 June) The One Show, Fiennes divulged that though there are scary elements, at its heart the movie is 'a family story.'
Irish Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Author Gethan Dick: ‘I'd make it illegal to buy or sell water. Everyone would adapt within a few weeks'
Tell me about your debut novel, Water in The Desert, Fire in the Night It's about hope, hunger, gold, wolves, Streatham, Cuba, post-apocalyptic feminism, pregnancy and bicycles. It's about the porousness of the female bodily experience, the challenges of being an empiricist with a sample size of one, what's worth knowing and what's worth living and the necessity of irrationality. It's about an underachieving young woman, a retired midwife and a charismatic Dubliner who set out from London after the end of the world to cycle to a sanctuary in the southern Alps. And it's about the fact that the thing about the end of the world is that it happens all the time. You did a master's in creative writing at Goldsmiths in London more than 20 years ago but did not pursue writing fiction. Why not? I disliked the distance you have in fiction between making something yourself and having an acknowledgment that it has been made. After my master's I continued working with writing, but I wrote for spoken-word performance or for zines that I or other people edited, and I studied visual arts at Camberwell College of Art and started making text-based visual works, because those were all ways to feel like what I'd written was 'made'. So writing was usually in there somewhere, it just wasn't in the form that writing usually comes packaged in. When I moved to France in 2011 the bit of my brain that deals with language was occupied with assimilating French for quite a while and I didn't write anything made up for a few years, but stories and text still held a place in our visual arts projects. What prompted you to turn to writing as opposed to visual arts to tell this story? During all that, I'd talk every now and then about writing a novel about the end of the world – so I guess I always thought I'd get around to it one day. But I definitely never would have if it hadn't been for [my partner] Myles saying, when we got back from a slightly survivalist two-month stint in a stone shepherds' hut during the first Covid lockdown, 'Stop talking about it and write it now.' [ Irish debut authors 2025: It's already shaping up to be a vintage year Opens in new window ] You have been working as an artist with Myles, first in London, and for many years now in Marseilles. Did this influence the novel? Definitely, but in silhouette. Myles and I make the visual arts work together, so at first I kept trying to get him to write the book with me, but he stuck to his guns and got me to do it for myself. Instead he became the motor for our other projects so that I had the time and brain-space to write. He wouldn't look at it until I felt I had a full first draft – he didn't want to contaminate it and our working practice is generally so meshed that it would have been impossible not to. When I had the draft, he did the initial edit, so he definitely had a hand in it, but it's just my name on it and it's unusual for me to have a 'solo' project going out into the world – that hasn't happened in a long time. Also, our art projects are usually multilayered, many-headed things: dozens to hundreds of participants, a cultural institution, a noncultural institution, local groups, in-situ installations, municipal permissions and so on. To be able to turn my back on all the logistics of whatever tentacular art project we were working on and, for a week or three, do something that just involved me, a notebook and a pencil, was a lovely counterpoint. READ MORE Modern technology and infrastructure no longer function in your novel. Was the pandemic a prompt or was it something that you had begun thinking about before? Well, this question assumes that modern technology and infrastructure currently function, which I'm not convinced they do, or, if they do then you have to examine pretty carefully who they function for, to what end and at what cost. If, like Audaz, you survived an apocalypse, to where would you make a pilgrimage? To misquote William Gibson, the apocalypse is already here, it's just not evenly distributed. Audaz has an exceptional memory. Do you have any such skills? I have a special talent for not hearing somebody if I'm not looking at them, which is fantastic for making it really embarrassing for anyone who tries to get my attention in a crowded public space. Will there be a second book or is it back to the studio? Both I hope. But in the immediate term back to the studio. I'd make it illegal to buy or sell water. You could start by banning producing and selling bottled water in Europe right now Which projects are you working on? We're towards the end of Acqua Lambro, in Milan, where we're creating an impossible luxury mineral water brand: we built a machine-sculpture from detritus gathered from the Lambro, one of Europe's most polluted rivers, and it transforms the river's water river into pure drinking water. It works – we've had the water it produces analysed. We showed the machine and a prototype bottle – glass, but made to look like the crushed plastic water bottles that fill the river – at Milan Design Week last month. We're about to restage We All Fall/Récit, an immersive performance piece we co-created, inspired by the stories of people who have made the journey to seek asylum in Europe, in which a choreography creates large-scale cyanotype prints of people's bodies. And we're mid-production on Espèces Humaines/Fides for La Monnaie de Paris (the museum attached to the French mint). We're making an installation, inspired both by imagery related to economic collapse and by indigo cloth-money, about the fact that money is, at its origin, an act of collective faith. Who do you admire the most? Palestinian Red Crescent workers and journalists. You are supreme ruler for a day. Which law do you pass or abolish? I'd make it illegal to buy or sell water. You could start by banning producing and selling bottled water in Europe right now. It would have so many benefits and everyone would adapt within a few weeks. The best and worst things about where you live? Marseilles is chaotic, grubby, ill-disciplined, unprofessional, heel-dragging, short-tempered and nothing, absolutely nothing, ever happens the way it's supposed to. I love it. I'm not even going to tell you all the other things that are great about it – there are already way too many tourists. Water in The Desert, Fire in the Night is published by Tramp Press
Globe and Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Digi 995 Universe Launches as a Groundbreaking Digital Franchise Blending Sci-Fi Books, Music, and Gaming
A new universe is rising from the ashes of a fallen world. The creators of Digi 995 have officially launched a multi-dimensional sci-fi experience combining immersive storytelling, soundtracks, and an action-packed game—ushering in a new era of interactive entertainment. At the heart of this innovative brand is Digi 995, a sentient robot tasked with rebuilding humanity after a cataclysmic event wipes out civilization. This story comes alive across multiple platforms: The Books: Explore a post-apocalyptic saga full of digital war, mythical creatures, and moral complexity. Learn more on Amazon here The Soundtrack: Every book in the series is paired with an original album. Stream tracks, watch visualizers, and discover the sound of the future at and click on the soundtrack tabs. The Game: Digi even has a game coming soon. Everyone will soon be able to dive into the world of Digi 995 in game format. The Merch: Style meets story with limited-edition apparel and collectibles featuring official certificates of authenticity. Shop the drop at 'Digi 995 is more than a brand—it's a living, evolving digital experience,' said a spokesperson for the Digi 995 team. 'We're blending storytelling, music, and gaming into one immersive world where the fans are part of the future.' Fans can begin their journey now at the official hub: Follow the movement on social media: Instagram | TikTok | YouTube | Facebook Hashtag: #EnterTheDigiVerse About Digi 995: Digi 995 is a futuristic media brand that combines science fiction, music, and interactive gaming. The universe centers around a robot named Digi 995, who must reconstruct the world one mission at a time. The franchise includes a book series, game, soundtracks, and merchandise, forming a fully immersive, cross-platform experience. For interviews, press inquiries, or review materials, visit the contact page at
Forbes
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘The Last Of Us' Showrunner Neil Druckmann Talks Penultimate Episode
Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal in "The Last of Us" On the latest episode of HBO's The Last of Us before next week's season two finale, audiences received a special glimpse inside the evolution of the family-like relationship between Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) in this post-apocalyptic world, where well-intentioned lies have come to the surface and emotional acts of forgiveness take form, making us all wonder what might have been. Based off of the Naughty Dog video game, The Last of Us was co-created by Neil Druckmann, which he then adapted for episodic storytelling on HBO. Sitting down with showrunner Druckmann, 46, I initially wondered what he hopes that The Last of Us viewers will take away from watching the new 'The Price' episode and witnessing how the father-daughter dynamic between Joel and Ellie progressed over time. Druckmann said, 'Understanding, more than anything, the complexity of their relationship - understanding how much they love each other, and that the episode is structured in such a way where you see them in this really great place, this really happy place, and then things start deteriorating. At first, it might appear it's about superficial things, like - Oh, Ellie getting a tattoo, or Ellie wanting to wear short sleeves, or Ellie hooking up with someone, or smoking weed, or wanting to go on patrols - but they get over all those things. Joel accommodates every single one of those things, including Ellie wanting to move to her own place. He fixes the garage up for her. Each one of these is some expression of love and then it still falls apart. It falls apart because it's weighed down by this lie - not only the lie, but the choice behind the lie of what Joel has done to rob Ellie of her agency.' Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal in "The Last of Us" He added: 'By the end of the episode, we see maybe they even would have gone past that. That's how much they love each other. It's the ultimate expression of love - unconditional love. Hopefully, the other thing you understand is that they were robbed of that by this other character of Abby, so that maybe you understand why Ellie goes on this insane, suicidal journey to bring the people responsible to justice.' To truly appreciate Druckmann's longtime vision surrounding The Last of Us, with the video game debuting back in 2013 and the television series debuting in 2023 - with 24 Emmy nominations and 8 wins in its first season, it is beneficial to understand Druckmann's own creative journey as an evolving artist. Neil Druckmann attends the Los Angeles FYC Event for the HBO Original Series' "The Last of Us" at ... More Directors Guild of America on April 28, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. 'It starts with even just wanting to make art, that I wanted to join the game industry because I love video games so much. They really spoke to me, not only as some form of escape, but as a storytelling medium, specifically. The next highlight was joining Naughty Dog as an intern, and here I was joining the studio that I was such a huge fan of, that has created Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter. I was amongst the ranks of making the next Jak and Daxter, and eventually, working on Uncharted. So, the next highlight was I started as a programmer as an intern and then I switched to more of the creative side as a designer. That was a highlight for me because I wanted to be more on the creative side. My way in was as a programmer. The next one was getting to work with Amy Hennig on Uncharted and writing - getting to write for the first time, professionally - that was a highlight. I got it and I realized - Oh, that's really where my passion lies, is storytelling and thinking about characters' motivation and how do you use all aspects of cinematic and interactive storytelling to tell a story?' (Left to right) Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin, Bella Ramsey, Pedro Pascal, Gabriel Luna, Carolyn ... More Strauss and Murray Bartlett attend the Los Angeles FYC Event for HBO Original Series' "The Last Of Us" at the Directors Guild Of America on April 28, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Druckmann continued: 'The next one was pitching a game that would eventually become The Last of Us. That was a joy and I couldn't believe that I was getting to make this game that I was thinking about, the story I was thinking about for years, and I'm doing it at Naughty Dog. Then, jump forward in time to now - I get to work on that same story with Craig Mazin and HBO. HBO, this place that I've admired, has told some of my favorite stories, as far as The Wire, The Leftovers, Game of Thrones - just go on and on and on. You can list the best shows, or my favorite shows, and 90% of them came out of HBO. So, to get to collaborate with this artist that I admire, who just did Chernobyl, and revisit the story in this new collaboration - that felt very exciting.' So, as Druckmann was building out The Last of Us video game, before going public with it, of all the things he wanted to see this fictional universe become, I was curious if there were any aspects of the narrative that he worked hard to ensure that this would not ultimately become. Neil Druckmann working on "The Last of Us" video game. Druckmann said, 'Oh yeah. So, you know, at the time we were making The Last of Us, the post-apocalyptic zombie genre was very popular. Some people warned us it was oversaturated - we should not make this game, but I felt like we had an angle on it that I hadn't seen, that was very character-driven, very personal, very intimate. So to me, that intimacy, the smallness of it in the AAA space, was very important. I didn't want us to fall into the trap of making another just big, spectacle-driven AAA game.' He added: 'I believe we did a good job of avoiding a lot of those lures of wanting to go big, especially coming on the heels of Uncharted. Uncharted, we pride ourselves in going really big and big set pieces to this day, that you can watch a new Mission: Impossible movie and see inspiration from our games, which is very flattering - but I didn't want The Last of Us to be that. How do we take all of our learnings from that and apply it to these really intimate moments? So, it might be about a dad giving his surrogate daughter a cassette that has a recording of a space launch and we can go into her imagination. That felt to me as big as a helicopter shooting missiles at a building, and it's collapsing while you're playing inside of it. The smallness of it was very important for us to keep.' Pedro Pascal in "The Last of Us" Now being the Studio Head & Head of Creative at Naughty Dog, when the time came to turn the popular The Last of Us video game into a live action television series, what was Druckmann most excited about doing and did he have any reservations during its early production process? Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in "The Last of Us" 'I had a ton of reservations. Part of it is because we've been part of adaptations that have not worked out for a bunch of different reasons. So, I've seen versions of it that could have ended up not great. What gave me hope was teaming up with Craig at HBO - again, knowing the taste that they have. Some of the notes I've gotten in the past were like - Oh, make it bigger, make it more like World War Z - and to me, it's like, that's not The Last of Us. The Last of Us took a ton of inspiration from No Country for Old Men. The thing I love about that film and its execution - I love the story, as well - but there's something really special about the execution. It does a lot with very little. You could watch that movie and be like - Oh my god, there's no score in this whole movie. There's no music. - and you'd be almost correct. There's moments in that film, like when the pickup truck crashes, where they play a single note and they hide the intro of it under that crash. It just kind of lingers and the single note creates so much tension. Those observations just kind of always stuck with me.' (Left to right) Francesca Orsi, Neil Druckmann, Bella Ramsey, Pedro Pascal, Craig Mazin, Casey Bloys ... More and Carolyn Strauss attend HBO's "The Last of Us" Season Two Los Angeles Premiere at TCL Chinese Theater on March 24, 2025 in Hollywood, California. Druckmann continued: 'I wanted to make sure that when we come, and now we have a healthy budget to make the show, it doesn't turn into like your run-of-the-mill, action, post-apocalyptic story. Ultimately, this is about the drama. One of the first speeches or inspiration we got from Casey Bloys, who runs HBO, was like - Only have as much action as you need to, and no more. Only have as much violence as you need to, and no more. This is about drama. It was like such a huge sigh of relief. I'm like - Okay, we're at the right place.' Beyond his co-writer and executive producer responsibilities, the latest episode marks the second time that Druckmann has sat in the director's chair for this HBO drama series. Being a mastermind behind the popular video game and the showrunner, I wondered what he feels are the advantages of him occasionally directing these episodes and guiding his cast & crew. Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal in "The Last of Us" 'There's a lot of the Venn diagram between the responsibilities you have as a video game director and as a TV director, film director. Those Venn diagrams overlap each other quite a bit - more so than not. So, those skills carry over. Beyond that, Craig and I, and [writer] Halley [Gross], if she ever wanted to direct, we know the story inside out. We know every character, so anybody that has a question about the world - and so much of that when you're directing, it's not just saying - Action and cut. It's months of preparation before you even get to that point of like - What should the props look like? What should the environments look like? What kind of lighting do we want? What kind of feeling? What's the tone for each one of these scenes? What are the scenes saying? I find that the writers are the most equipped to answer those questions.' Druckmann added: 'Now obviously, there's a visual component to it and there's like a visual artistry, as well, that you have to be trained in to do, but it's that kind of deep knowledge that allows us to just make choices in the moment, and just run with ideas and experiment on the day. I have the confidence to know when I deviate too far, but that's why I want to sometimes push it to the line and say - Okay, what else can we get out of this scene that maybe wasn't even on the page? I think that's beneficial. Another director might not have the confidence - might be like - Oh god, I got to check in with Neil. I got to check in with Craig. They wouldn't have that same confidence.' Being someone that has remained in and around the entertainment industry for years, what is Druckmann enjoying about the business today, with the advancing technologies at our disposal lately, and what former ways of yesteryear does he perhaps miss and wishes were still in place? 'Oh, that's an interesting question. I'm excited about as we make games, we always have just the most cutting-edge technology of how we author these games. So right now, there's a lot of - How do we make our team more efficient? So whereas, in the past, when they were building an environment, they have to model each blade of grass and lay it down individually. Artists don't have to hand place each one of those things. It allows us to create a much bigger world more quickly. That's an example of the kind of authorship now our artists have. It's very exciting because it's just evolving at such a rapid pace.' He continued: 'The things that I miss - I kind of miss having a smaller team. Right now, the game that we're working on has north of 300 people. Likewise with the show, it's just an army of people. You can never get to know everybody. When I started at Naughty Dog, we were 40 people. I knew everybody's name. I knew their families. I prided myself on just knowing every single person that worked here. Now, it might be several years before I meet someone that has come to work at Naughty Dog. I sometimes miss that intimacy.' As I concluded the conversation with Druckmann about The Last of Us and his creative journey up until this point, I was curious if he could actually speak to the people within The Last of Us post-apocalyptic universe and could tell them a comforting message or a warning that they needed to hear, what would that be? Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal in "The Last of Us" Druckmann said, 'It's so hard and I struggle with it because every person needs something slightly different. It's cliché but our story so much is about love, and the positive and the negative things it can lead you to. Often in the name of love of the people that we care about, we rationalize committing atrocities. I would try to say something to wake people up away from that - to find the humanity outside of your tribe. I think, ultimately, how we can reduce the suffering that they are all going through?'
CNET
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNET
'The Last of Us' Is On Tonight: When to Watch Season 2, Episode 5
It's hard to believe, but season 2 of The Last of Us is halfway through. The video game adaptation has delivered one heart-pounding moment after another, proving there's still place for post-apocalyptic programs on television. Instead of kicking off where the first season ended, The Last of Us jumps ahead five years to see how and if the relationship between Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) has weathered the proverbial storm. A lot can happen in half a decade, but curing the Cordyceps virus isn't one of them. The infection has only spread further and evolved in terrifying ways, making America's landscape even deadlier. Video game fans should note that this new season of The Last of Us doesn't recreate the original subject matter beat by beat. Writer, director and executive producer Neil Druckmann discussed the reasons for this creative choice during a virtual press conference for the series, which CNET attended. Empathy is the first reason -- building an emotional connection with certain characters and their storylines required altering the narrative structure to create stakes for the audience. That connection comes more naturally when you're stepping into a character's shoes while playing the game. Timing is the other reason. "If we were to stick to a very similar timeline, viewers would have to wait a very, very long time to get that context," Druckmann said. Context is key, and by all accounts this strategy is working. Season 1 broke viewership ratings, and just days before the season 2 premiere, HBO renewed The Last of Us for a third season. Gabriel Luna, Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Young Mazino, Catherine O'Hara and Rutina Wesley also star in the series. Read on to learn when to stream and to check out the episode release schedule for The Last of Us season 2. Read more: Max Streaming Service Review: Loads of Content, but You Have to Make It Fit You Screenshot by Aaron Pruner/CNET When you can watch The Last of Us season 2 Episode 5 of The Last of Us season 2 will air Sunday, May 11, at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max. The remaining three episodes of the season will air weekly on Sundays until the finale, which is scheduled to air on May 25.
