Bella Ramsey, best known for her role as Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, has been chosen to star as Ellie in HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us. The news comes from The Hollywood Reporter, announcing the first major role to be cast in the upcoming TV show from Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin, who will serve as writer and executive producer with The Last of Us game creative director Neil Druckmann.
The report also shuts down rumor that had been circulating that True Detective star Mahershala Ali would be taking the lead in the show as Joel. Interestingly, THR reports, “Ali did circle the role, say sources, but a deal (never) came to fruition.” For now, there is no concrete word on who will play Joel in HBO’s The Last of Us; we only know that Bella Ramsey is Ellie.
News of HBO’s plans to adapt Sony and Naughty Dog’s hit video game arrived in March of last year, and later that year, the network gave the show a full order to series. Chernobyl alum Johan Renck was originally set to direct the show’s pilot episode before stepping away due to scheduling conflicts. We learned last month that Beanpole director Kantemir Balagov would be stepping in to take Renck’s place.
