The Last Of Us casts Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in lead roles

The Last Of Us TV adaptation has finally cast series leads Joel and Ellie. Yesterday The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Bella Ramsey,  best known for her role as Lyanna Mormont on Game of Thrones, will play Ellie in the small-screen version of the popular video game.

Then later on in the night Deadline revealed that another Game of Thrones alum and everyone’s favorite Mandalorian Pedro Pascal would be playing Joel.

The Last Of Us was given a straight to series order by HBO. Neil Druckmann, who worked on the original The Last Of Us game for Naughty Dog, will be a writer and executive producer for the series. Other executive producers include Carolynn Strauss, who was an EP for Game of Thrones and Chernobyl, and Craig Mazin who was an EP on Chernobyl.

The show’s official synopsis reveals that it will primarily focus on Joel and Ellie.

"“The story takes place twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse across the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.”"

Pedro Pascal, who is beloved as Din Djarin, is a great choice to play Joel because he’s proven that he can find the balance between action and emotion to make a character compelling in a dystopian world. It will be interesting to see how Bella Ramsey interprets Ellie. But, after seeing how she made Lyanna Mormont a stand-out character and fan favorite in Game of Thrones it seems she is also a good choice for the role.

Can The Last Of Us compete with The Walking Dead?

For many years The Walking Dead has been the show against which all dystopian dramas were measured and no other drama has ever really has given TWD any significant competition. But with The Walking Dead starting production on the final season now and The Last Of Us just getting ready begin, the original zombie smash hit might finally have some serious competition.

The Last Of Us is one of the best-selling video games and has a huge fanbase which has made it one of the most highly anticipated genre shows in a long time. With the right team and the right cast, the show could enjoy the same kind of success that TWD has had over the last decade. With these cast announcements, it looks like The Last Of Us could be the show that finally gives TWD some real competition for best dystopian drama.

Are you looking forward to the TV adaption of The Last Of Us? Follow us on Twitter @SonyaIryna and @CulturessFS and tell us why or why not.