The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal and Game of Thrones actress Bella Ramsey have been cast as Joel and Ellie, two survivors living in a post-apocalyptic world, in HBO’s upcoming video game adaptation The Last of Us.
The Last of Us is “set 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed and centers on the relationship between Joel, a smuggler in this new world, and Ellie, a teenager who may be key to a cure for a deadly pandemic. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle the 14-year-old girl out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey as they traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.”
Pedro Pascal is fresh off his role in Wonder Woman 1984 and is set to return as the titular Mandalorian in the hit Disney+ series. The Last of Us series will mark his return to HBO, after starring in the massively successful Game of Thrones as Oberyn Martell.
Ramsey also starred in the final seasons of Game of Thrones as Lyanna Mormont, a young but fierce Northerner who was completely loyal to Jon Snow. She is also known for portraying Mildred Hubble in The Worst Witch, a role she had for the series’ first three seasons before she left last year.
Neil Druckmann, the writer and director of both Last of Us games, celebrated the news on Twitter saying “We’re absolutely thrilled to have Bella join the TLoU family!”
We're absolutely thrilled to have Bella join the TLoU family! https://t.co/4v9TbLhcMr
— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) February 11, 2021
The Last of Us sold over 1.3 million units in its first week and 17 million by April 2018; it now sits around $20 million as of 2019. The video game sequel The Last of Us Part II, sold over four million copies worldwide in its opening weekend alone.
Craig Mazin, the creator of HBO’s acclaimed limited series Chernobyl, will pen the script and serve as executive producer on the TV adaptation alongside Neil Druckmann, the writer and creative director of the game. Beanpole director Kantemir Balagov will direct the pilot.
