After winning hearts as the Mandalorian, Pedro Pascal is ready to appear as Joel in the TV series adaptation of The Last of Us franchise.
Gamesradar reported that Pedro Pascal would play Joel in HBO’s The Last of Us TV series based on the blockbuster gaming franchise by Naughty Dog. Along with him, Game of Thrones‘ Bella Ramsey will portray Ellie.
The Mandalorian actor later shared the news on his social media profile as well. As expected, the story spread like wildfire within hours.
“The Last of Us” series early details
Did we say we’re building out the cast? Thrilled to see @PedroPascal1 join @BellaRamsey on the @HBO series of The Last of Us 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 https://t.co/xUODu1ypdX
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) February 11, 2021
News of Pedro playing Joel came shortly after Bella Ramsey was confirmed as Ellie. It’s a big announcement that is already gaining a lot of buzz over social media. Naughty Dog also shared ample information on its official Twitter account, as you can see above.
Speaking of the story, then everyone knows it very well. The HBO adaptation of The Last of Us will see Joel (Pedro) and Ellie (Bella) trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic America.
Then how can you forget the zombies? Of course, they will be coming as well. They’ll be there to welcome them.
The father-daughter relationship shown in Naughty Dog’s immensely successful gaming series is widely popular. Now the live-action show makers will try to portray that with an even better depth and bonding. With Pedro on board, it seems likely as well. He’s already made The Mandalorian‘s helmet-wearing Din Djarin character immortal among the viewers.
There were many rumors before the official casting news came out for The Last of Us. Strong speculations were favoring Mahershala Ali’s name for Joel.
Coming back to the show, then the game’s creative director Neil Druckmann and creator of the Chernobyl series, Craig Mazin, will take charge of the production.
Big games, more adaptations!
Lately, many new TV shows and movies are coming up which are based on hit gaming franchises. While the Resident Evil series was already doing this for many years, other studios are now showing a deep interest. Some big productions have announced movies or shows based on hit video game titles in the last five years.
But the most important thing is the improved quality and the passion for it. In the past, most of the live-action adaptations failed to do justice with the source material. The recent initiatives of notable filmmakers taking an interest in game-based films or shows are remarkable.
Several recent and significant projects in the future include movies like Borderlands, Uncharted, Mortal Kombat, and Tomb Raider.
With The Last of Us series on its way already, what are your favorite games you would like to be turned into a show or a movie?
Image courtesy of Netflix Film Club/YouTube Screenshot