Halley Gross

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Halley Gross
Halley Gross, The Last of Us Part II, Outbreak Day 2019 (cropped).jpg
Gross in September 2019
Born (1985-12-27) December 27, 1985 (age 38)
Occupations
  • Screenwriter
  • actress
Years active2006–present

Halley Wegryn Gross (born December 27, 1985) is an American screenwriter and former actress. She is best known for writing two 2016 episodes of the HBO series Westworld and co-writing the 2020 video game The Last of Us Part II .

Contents

Early life

Halley Wegryn Gross was born in Fort Myers, Florida, on December 27, 1985. She grew up in New Jersey. She was a child actress who made appearances on Law & Order and later wanted to become a comedian while in college, but found that comedy made her uncomfortable. [1] She attended the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University (NYU) as an undergraduate. [1] She graduated with a degree in creative writing in 2008 and then gained a master's degree in dramaturgy from NYU in 2010. [2]

Career

Before moving into screenwriting, Gross worked as an actress and appeared onstage in a 2005 production of Hurlyburly , [3] a 2011 production of The Metal Children, [4] and a 2012 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream . [5] She had her breakthrough as a writer and story editor for two 2016 episodes of the HBO television series Westworld. [6] She was also a writer for two episodes of the 2019 Amazon miniseries Too Old to Die Young . [7] In 2020, she co-wrote the video game The Last of Us Part II with Neil Druckmann. [8] The game went on to win multiple awards, some of which were awarded to Gross and Druckmann for their writing. The game also broke the record for the most Game of the Year awards received by a single game.[ citation needed ] Gross is working on the second season of the television adaptation of The Last of Us, [9] expected to adapt the events of The Last of Us Part II. [10]

Filmography

Screenwriter

Accolades

DateAward / PublicationCategoryWorkResultRef.
November 24, 2020 Golden Joystick Awards Best Storytelling The Last of Us Part II Won [11]
December 10, 2020 The Game Awards Best NarrativeWon [12]
December 12, 2020 Titanium Awards Best Narrative DesignWon [13]
December 22, 2020 IGN Best Video Game StoryWon [14]
March 20, 2021 SXSW Gaming Awards Excellence in NarrativeWon [15]
April 8, 2021 D.I.C.E. Awards Outstanding Achievement in StoryWon [16]
July 21, 2021 Game Developers Choice Awards Best NarrativeWon [17]

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Characters of <i>The Last of Us</i> Characters in The Last of Us video game

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Ellie (<i>The Last of Us</i>) Video game character

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<i>The Last of Us Part II</i> 2020 video game

The Last of Us Part II is a 2020 action-adventure game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Set five years after The Last of Us (2013), the game focuses on two playable characters in a post-apocalyptic United States whose lives intertwine: Ellie, who sets out in revenge for a murder, and Abby, a soldier who becomes involved in a conflict between her militia and a religious cult. The game uses a third-person perspective; the player must fight human enemies and cannibalistic zombie-like creatures with firearms, improvised weapons, and stealth.

Joel (<i>The Last of Us</i>) Video game character

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Abby (<i>The Last of Us</i>) Video game character

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Development of <i>The Last of Us Part II</i>

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Characters of <i>The Last of Us Part II</i> Characters in The Last of Us Part II video game

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Music of <i>The Last of Us Part II</i>

The music for the 2020 action-adventure survival horror video game The Last of Us Part II, developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, was composed by musician Gustavo Santaolalla, with additional music composed by Mac Quayle. The original score album was released digitally alongside the game in June 2020, featuring the work of Santaolalla and Quayle. An additional extended play, Covers and Rarities, was released in September 2021, featuring five cover songs from the game and its marketing performed by Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, who portrayed Joel and Ellie, respectively. The game also received two single releases as vinyl records: one in June 2018 featuring music from the trailers, and one in the Ellie Edition of the game in June 2020.

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"When You're Lost in the Darkness" is the series premiere of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. Written by series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann and directed by Mazin, the episode aired on HBO on January 15, 2023. It introduced the character Joel and his daughter Sarah during the chaos of a global pandemic outbreak caused by a mutated form of the Cordyceps fungus that turns its victims into bloodthirsty attackers. Twenty years later, Joel and his partner Tess set out to find Joel's brother Tommy and are tasked with smuggling the young Ellie in exchange for supplies.

Infected (<i>The Last of Us</i>) 2nd episode of the 1st season of The Last of Us

"Infected" is the second episode of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. It was written and directed by series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, respectively; Druckmann wrote and co-directed the 2013 video game on which the series is based. The episode aired on HBO on January 22, 2023. In the episode, Joel and his partner Tess escort the young Ellie through a biological contamination area in Boston to reach the Massachusetts State House.

References

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