HBO rummages through the many corpses of Game of Thrones to cast Joel and Ellie for The Last of Us

Winter is not coming, but there are still zombies to deal with

While many film and television adaptations of video games have struggled to get off the ground over the years, HBO is having no trouble getting The Last of Us into production. The series got the green light late last year with an incredibly talented group behind the camera. Chernobyl‘s Craig Mazin and Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann are producing and writing the show, with Cannes award winner Kantemir Balagov directing the pilot. 

There’s been speculation about who’d land the coveted roles of Joel and Ellie, but we need not speculate anymore. As confirmed late last night, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will play Joel and Ellie, respectively. Pascal is known most recently for his work in The Mandalorian and chewing up the scenery in Wonder Woman 1984. It’s also recently come to light that he’s one incredibly dope big brother. 

As for Ramsey, she’s perhaps best recognized for her few outstanding episodes of Game of Thrones. Her Last of Us co-star also appeared in that series back in season four, and they both met incredibly tragic but memorable deaths.

EXCLUSIVE: #TheMandalorian star Pedro Pascal is set to headline The Last Of Us, HBO’s high-profile series adaptation of the Sony Playstation franchise #TheLastOfUs https://t.co/eOkWqyrTV5

— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) February 11, 2021

‘The Last Of Us’: ‘Game Of Thrones’ Breakout Bella Ramsey To Play Ellie In HBO Series https://t.co/mxAnSu95MA

— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) February 11, 2021

While I personally have been championing the idea of Katilyn Dever for Ellie, I can’t argue against Ramsey’s casting. She absolutely stole every scene she was in on Game of Thrones. Besides, Dever has her hands full with Dopestick, her upcoming miniseries that focuses on the opioid crisis in America.

So that’s two feel-good shows to look forward to in the future.