Game of Thrones actors Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal – who also stars in Disney’s Star Wars spinoff The Mandalorian – have been cast in the HBO television adaptation of the blockbusting video game series The Last of Us. Ellie and Joel’s roles in the next drama.
The Hollywood Reporter broke the news of the adaptation last March, and speculation about the cast has since increased. Fans on social media initially favored Booksmart star Kaitlyn Dever for the role of Ellie, and the actor expressed interest. Meanwhile, it has been rumored that Mahershala Ali from True Detective has been approached for the role of Joel.
Reacting to the ads on Twitter, Neil Druckmann, writer and creative director of the games, said: “We are thrilled to have Bella joining the TLoU family!” He later wrote: “Aaaae has the other half. I’m happy to have Pedro on board our show! “
Written by Craig Mazin, creator of the acclaimed Chernobyl miniseries, and scripted by Druckmann, the HBO tie-in is set to follow the events of the original Last of Us game. Twenty years after a zombie pandemic spread across North America, gray-haired survivor Joel is tasked with transporting teenage Ellie across the country to a laboratory where a cure is being developed. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the script will also include material from The Last of Us 2, which takes place five years after the original game. In an interview with BBC radio, Mazin hinted that the TV version would fill and expand the narrative, but would not undo any element already established in the games.
There is no news when the Last of Us series will air, but the co-production with Sony Pictures Television is set to be the first in a new list of adaptations. In 2019, Sony announced the formation of PlayStation Productions, dedicated to the TV and film productions of PlayStation game franchises. The division is also producing the next adaptation film for the action-adventure game Uncharted, starring Tom Holland.