The MandalorianstarPedro Pascalwill play Joel in HBO’s TV series adaptation ofThe Last of Us. Word of Pascal’s casting comes just hours after it was announced thatGame of Thronesbreakout starBella Ramsey will co-star in the series as Ellie, the teenage girl Joel cares for in the original video game. Like Ramsey, Pascal was also previously featured onGame of Thrones, though he had already departed the series before Ramsey debuted.
Pascal getting the role of Joel inThe Last of Usalso follows rumors thatMoonlightstar Mahershala Ali had been offered the part. Reportedly, Ali had “circled the role” before Pascal’s casting, but a deal never came to fruition. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Hugh Jackman were other names that had come up with fans doing their own fantasy casting online, but given Pascal’s popularity, fans will likely embraceThe Mandalorianstar in the role.
Before taking on his popular role inThe Mandalorian, Pascal broke out as Oberyn Martell in the fourth season ofGame of Thrones. He also recently appeared in the comic book movieWonder Woman 1984as the villain, Max Lord, and was just cast in Judd Apatow’s upcoming pandemic-themed comedy movie. Word is the actor just became available for a new series, and with multiple big offers from various networks and streamers coming his way, Pascal was most intrigued byThe Last of Us.
InThe Last of Us, Joel is a hardened survivor in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by zombie-like creatures. Set 20 years after the world came to an end, Joel is hired to smuggle a teenage girl named Ellie (Ramsey) out of a quarantine zone while staying clear of raiders and other dangers. What starts as a small job “soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse across the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.”
The original video game version ofThe Last of Usis one of the most popular console games of recent years. It was a quick hit when it was first released in 2013, selling millions of copies and garnering multiple Game of the Year awards. Last year, the sequelThe Last of Us Part IIwould also be released with similarly incredible success. Selling over four million units in its release weekend, the followup title holds the record for most Game of the Year awards.
Based on the popularity of the game, there have been plans to create a live-action version ofThe Last of Usfor years. In 2014, Sony had announced a movie adaptation to be produced by Sam Raimi. Oddly enough, this version could have starred yet anotherGame of Thronesalum, as Maisie Williams had expressed interest in playing Ellie for the project. Ultimately, the movie plans evolved into the TV series that’s now in the works for HBO.
Chernobylcreator Craig Mazin will developThe Last of Uswith the original game’s writer and creative director Neil Druckmann. The two will executive produce as well with Carolyn Strauss, Naughty Dog president Evan Wells, and Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan of PlayStation Productions. Kantemir Balagov will direct the pilot episode. It’s not yet clear when the series will make it to HBO. This news was first reported byDeadline.
