A new batch of The Last of Us character posters spotlight the core cast that will lead audiences through the post-apocalypse in the upcoming video game adaptation. Coming courtesy of the official Twitter account for the HBO series, The Last of Us posters reveal new looks at the cast, including leads Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie, with the series set to debut in January next year.
Game of Thrones and Becoming Elizabeth star Bella Ramsey stars in The Last of Us as Ellie, described on the poster as “The last hope.” Standing alongside her is The Mandalorian actor Pedro Pascal, who leads The Last of Us as “The protector,” Joel. Check out the rest of The Last of Us character posters below.
The ensemble cast includes Gabriel Luna (Terminator: Dark Fate) as Tommy, Joel's younger brother, and a former soldier; Merle Dandridge, who will reprise her role from the video games as Marlene, the leader of the revolutionary militia group known as the Fireflies; Anna Torv (Fringe) as Tess, Joel's smuggling partner; Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation, Devs) as Bill, an expert survivalist; and newcomer Keivonn Woodard as Sam, a deaf, artistic child who is being hunted by violent revolutionaries along with his brother Henry, played by Lamar Johnson (The Hate U Give)
The rest of the supporting cast includes Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus) as Frank, a survivalist living in an isolated town with Bill; Euphoria star Storm Reid as Riley Abel, “The only friend”; and Nico Parker (The Third Day) as Sarah, Joel's daughter. The adaptation will also feature roles for several voice actors from the video game, such as Jeffrey Pierce, who voiced Tommy, Ashley Johnson, who voiced Ellie, and Troy Baker, who voiced Joel.
The Last of Us Will Bring the Hugely Popular Video Game into Live Action on HBO
Based on the critically acclaimed video game The Last of Us, developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation platforms, 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 the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
The Last of Us creator and director Neil Druckmann’s involvement should fill fans with hope that the live-action adaptation will stay true to the games. However, he has revealed that the series will deviate from the video game where appropriate. "Things sometimes stay pretty close," Druckmann explained recently. "It's funny to see my dialogue there from the games in HBO scripts. And sometimes they deviate greatly to much better effect because we are dealing with a different medium."
The Last of Us is scheduled to debut on January 15, 2023, and is a joint production by Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Naughty Dog, The Mighty Mint, and Word Games.