The second season of HBO's The Last of Us is on the horizon, with only a couple of weeks to go before fans finally get to see how Joel and Ellie's relationship is panning out after season one's emotional cliffhanger. Now, before season 2 even airs. HBO has made an exciting announcement regarding accessibility for not only the first season of the hit apocalyptic drama show starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey but also for when it returns next month.
Fans of Naughty Dog's video game franchise and also those new to The Last of Us' chaotic world got a taste of what's to come in a recent new trailer for The Last of Us season 2, which saw the introduction of airborne spores to the show. Although they were already a part of the first and second games in a massive way, these spores will now see the show's beloved characters placed in even more compromising situations. It seems as though those dreaded tendrils that spout from the mouths of infected people from season one will still play a big part, but now the fungus has upped the ante in a bid to reach even more of the show's unsuspecting victims. Now, just like The Last of Us Part 2 game, which saw features with more than 60 accessibility settings, with expanded options focused on fine motor and hearing, the TV show is also doing its part to make sure to include its deaf viewers.
HBO's The Last of Us Will Get an ASL Version on Max
As revealed exclusively by IndieWire, The Last of Us TV season one will get inclusive treatment thanks to the addition of American Sign Language settings. HBO is set to launch an ASL version of not only the first season of the series but also when season 2 airs next month, so those who are deaf can finally catch up on the show just in time for its grand return. Daniel Durant, who starred in the Oscar-winning film CODA, will conduct ASL for the first season of the show, where he will be seen performing American Sign Language on the screen in a bid to open up the incredible series for the deaf audience. Starting with the April 13 premiere, Durant and also accessibility advocate Leila Hanaumi will be using ASL throughout season 2's seven episodes.
This amazing incentive for ASL to be used for HBO's The Last of Us will allow for a whole new level of appreciation and open up its world for those who are deaf to experience it more thoroughly through whatever language they use instead of the standard subtitles. With ASL, deaf viewers will have the ease of access they get from having the information provided in their first language of visual ASL rather than subtitles where English might not be their first language.
“We always rely on captions, but they’re always in English grammar structure, and having the concept of adding a Deaf interpreter there just makes it a clearer message. It gives us expanded ideas and meanings, and then we, as Deaf people, get to understand the meanings behind it, using our own language and seeing it on the screen. It makes it even more accessible to us and so much more special,” signed Durant through ASL.
As groundbreaking as this is for Max, as it's the first streaming platformer to offer ASL alongside premiere episodes of a massive series, the streaming company has also created ASL versions of movies that include Greta Gerwig's Barbie, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Durant's ASL performance is edited into the episodes in a seamless way where he wears a plain black shirt in front of a green screen so he's able to merge himself into the better, which, in turn, minimizes distraction from what's happening on the screen.
The Last of Us Season One's ASL version will be released as a standalone title on March 31 on Max, followed by The Last of Us Season 2 on April 13.
