Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal to star in The Last of Us TV series

Game of Thrones actors Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal – who also stars in Disney’s Star Wars spinoff The Mandalorian – have been cast in HBO’s television adaptation of blockbusting video game series The Last of Us. They will take on the roles of Ellie and Joel in the forthcoming drama.

The Hollywood Reporter broke news of the adaptation last March, and since then speculation over the casting has been rife. Fans on social media initially favoured Booksmart star Kaitlyn Dever for the role of Ellie, and the actor expressed interest. Meanwhile, True Detective’s Mahershala Ali was rumoured to have been approached for the role of Joel.

Reacting to the announcements on Twitter, Neil Druckmann, writer and creative director of the games, said: “We’re thrilled to have Bella join the TLoU family!” He later wrote: “Aaaaand there’s the other half. Stoked to have Pedro aboard 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. Set 20 years after a zombifying pandemic sweeps across North America, grizzled survivor Joel is tasked with transporting teenager Ellie across the country to a lab where a cure is being developed. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the script will also include material from The Last of Us 2, which is set five years after the original game. In a BBC radio interview, Mazin hinted that the TV version would fill out and expand on the narrative, but would not undo any elements already established in the games.

There is no news on 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 roster of adaptations. In 2019, Sony announced the formation of PlayStation Productions, dedicated to TV and movie productions of PlayStation game franchises. The division is also producing the forthcoming movie adaptation of action adventure game Uncharted, starring Tom Holland.