EXCLUSIVE: In one of the biggest TV castings of the year, The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal is set to headline The Last of Us, HBO’s high-profile series adaptation of the Sony Playstation franchise from Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann.
Based on the critically acclaimed video game The Last of Us, developed by Naughty Dog exclusively for the PlayStation platforms, the story takes place twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel (Pascal), a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Game of Thrones‘ Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. 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.
Pascal’s Joel, tormented by past trauma and failure, must trek across a pandemic-ravaged America, all the while protecting a girl who represents the last hope of humanity.
2020-21 HBO Pilots & Series Orders
This marks a homecoming for Pascal who became a household name with his role as Oberyn Martell on HBO’s mega hit Game Of Thrones.
Pascal currently stars in Disney+’s hugely popular and acclaimed series The Mandalorian, which recently received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Drama Series. He will continue on the Star Wars series, where he is used sparingly because of the nature of his character, though The Last Of Us has him in first position.
The actor recently became available for a new series, attracting multiple big offers from top premium networks and streamers, opting to do The Last Of Us.
Pascal is coming off starring as the villain, Max Lord, in Wonder Woman 1984. The Narcos and Kingsman: The Golden Circle star is currently in production on Judd Apatow’s The Bubble for Netflix. He is repped by WME, Anonymous Content and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
Kantemir Balagov is directing the pilot episode of The Last Of Us, a co-production with with Sony Pictures Television. PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog.
Druckmann and Mazin write and executive produce; Carolyn Strauss (Game of Thrones, Chernobyl) also executive produces along with Naughty Dog president Evan Wells alongside Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan of PlayStation Productions.
Oh man I love Pedro Pascal but I was really hoping for Nikolaj-Coster Waldau.
Absolutely not. That man is just another Hollywood Commie.
I’m sure he’s a great actor but let’s be real here the character isn’t Spanish and yet they’ve chosen this actor anyway . I’m all for expanding a characters dynamics by being played by a different race . I loved what they did with Roland of The Dark Tower but some rolls to really capture them need to be played by actors close to that character and in this roll I just think using a Spanish actor for a white American architect turned survivalist just doesn’t fit . To me he is going to look ridiculous in this roll and I for one won’t be able to take this series serious at all . Way to destroy another franchise.
I am a HUGE fan of the Last of Us. Pedro Pascal is my Mandalorian but not my Joel. I would have certainly went with Jon Hamm instead. The character of Joel is a gritty, hardened, no bull kind of guy that hap hazardly is entrusted with a girl who becomes the one chink in his armor. That is just something I don’t think Pedro Pascal will pull off. I also hope that he studies Joel’s facial expressions. Naughty Dog are masters of facial motion capture. He’s a great actor. I just don’t see him right for this one. Lastly why on Earth would you cast Bella Ramsey for Ellie when Sadie Sink is perfect for the role. Ok, I’m done ranting.
deadline.com – please pass on to the creators through your channels the following:
Perhaps this show will fail.
You decided to take actors who are not even remotely similar to the game ones, but the players fell in love with these particular types and you will not do anything about it.
But, if you want your show not to be hacked right away, then at least the main characters should be as similar as possible in type to their source code from the game.
The best way would be to invite the players themselves to send actors in their opinion suitable for the role, and then give them the opportunity to vote. Well, after that, make proposals to the actors and audition.
Now, please reveal all the candidates you have considered for the role.
Maybe there were such candidates for the role of Ellie as: AnnaSophia Robb or Elle Fanning or Millie Bobby Brown or Sophia Lillis? If not, maybe it’s not too late to consider them?
And for the role of Joyle: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau or Seann William Scott or Joshua Lee Holloway or Hugh Jackman or Michael Fassbender or Sam Worthington
And please keep the original soundtracks from the game.
First of All its not All about the Looks its also about their acting. Millie Brown doesnt EVEN Look anything like elllie so thats probably biased. And Do you have any idea how hard it could be ro get The soundtrack from the game.