The hit HBO series The Last of Us, based on the video game of the same name (and its sequel), will continue on into season 3, even with the video game’s co-creator Neil Druckmann stepping back from his creative involvement with the show – but while we wait to see how that turns out, Deadline reports that The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey has signed on to star in the thriller drama Maya as the title character.
Written and created by BAFTA-nominated actress Daisy Haggard, who will also be making her directorial debut on the six-part series, Maya centers on the teenage daughter of Anna (Haggard). The pair leave their lives in London and are forced into a witness protection program with new identities in a small rural Scottish town. The trauma of their past continues to haunt them as the attempt to settle into a new life, with two hitmen intent on tracking them down. The show is described as being “atmospheric and darkly comic, aping the warm and humorous style of Haggard’s previous shows, which include Back to Life and Breeders. Themes in the series include predatory male behavior, family and love, and the unbreakable bond between a mother and her daughter.” Filming will place entirely in Scotland later this year.
Netflix notes that “Maya will not be the first time Haggard and Ramsey have played mother-daughter roles on-screen, coming after the former played Johanna, parent of Ramsey’s titular leader in the animated Netflix series Hilda.”
A Two Brothers Pictures production, the show is set up at Channel 4. Haggard will be directing alongside Jamie Donoughue (Doctor Who). Haggard is also an executive producer on the series with with Harry and Jack Williams, Sarah Hammond, Alex Mercer, and Daisy Mount for Two Brothers. Kenny Tanner is producer, Donoughue is co-executive producer, and Shaheen Baig is casting director.
Ramsey provided the following statement: “This story and these characters Daisy has created are so alive, nuanced, wickedly funny and scarily dark. Every character jumps off the page, the dialogue is incredibly witty and I’m so excited to get to play Maya opposite Daisy’s Anna.” Haggard added, “Ever since I first dreamt up this show, there has only ever been one Maya. I wrote the part with Bella so clearly in my head and I honestly still can’t believe they want to be part of it. Bella is pure magic, just insanely talented, and I can’t wait for us to work together. I’m also thrilled to be taking the leap into directing, and excited to have the opportunity to co-direct the series alongside the brilliant Jamie Donoughue.“
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