Today, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Bella Ramsey had been cast as the lead in HBO’s The Last of Us TV Series as the lead character Ellie. Ramsey was a breakout star on HBO’s Game of Thrones as young Lyanna Mormont. She was originally written as a one-episode character, but the fan-reception was so high that she returned for several more. Ironically, another Game of Thrones star, Maisie Williams, was once attached to star as Ellie in the feature film adaptation before it ended up in development hell. She has since outgrew the role.
The network was also looking to cast Mahershala Ali (Luke Cage, Blade) as Joel (via The Illuminerdi), but the actor has since passed on the role. Fans have fan-cast other Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau for Joel’s role since the show’s announcement. Chernobyl showrunner Craig Mazin will write the show. With video game writer Neil Druckmann serving as a producer.
The Last of Us will debut on HBO
We’re absolutely thrilled to have Bella join the TLoU family! https://t.co/4v9TbLhcMr
— Dr. Uckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) February 11, 2021
