There is plenty of anticipation for the HBO adaptation of bestselling game title The Last Of Us, not least because it'll arrive via Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin. Now we know who has been picked to play the key lead characters Joel and Ellie – Pedro Pascal and Game Of Thrones veteran Bella Ramsey.
The Last Of Us, which Mazin is adapting alongside one of the game's creative directors, Neil Druckmann, 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 US and depend on each other for survival.
Pascal, of course, is currently best known for The Mandalorian, and this casting is surprising given his commitment to that show. Still, according to Deadline, he's available for other work (partly because the Star Wars show uses his voice a lot more than his physical performance) and he's scored this new, choice role. Oh, and he has his own history with Game Of Thrones.
Ramsey enjoyed a big breakout with Thrones, spinning Lyanna Mormont, a relatively small role, into a memorable character bursting with attitude. She's since appeared in shows such as The Worst Witch and His Dark Materials. Her casting comes via The Hollywood Reporter.
You can find everything we've learned so far about the show right here.