A television series adaptation of the hit video game The Last of Us is in the works at HBO from franchise creative director Neil Druckmann and Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin, and Booksmart star Kaitlyn Dever is tossing her name in the hat to portray the live-action Ellie. Since the news of the upcoming series made headlines, fans of the game have bmeen debating potential casting choices for both of the series leads. One name that's come up often as a suggestion for Ellie is Dever, and the fan support behind the idea has since made its way to the young actress herself.

Speaking with Collider in a recent interview, Kaitlyn Dever admits she's a big fan of The Last of Us. Though she adds she isn't very good, Dever had this to say about her appreciation for the hit game and its touching story.

"Listen, I am a huge fan of the game, and I don't know if a lot of people know that, but I'm saying it now; I am a huge fan of that video game. I think it is a beautiful story. It's just a wonderful narrative, and I fell in love with that game when it came out."

Though Dever and Ellie look similar physically, there is an age discrepancy between the two of about a decade; Dever is 23 while the Ellie character is 14 in the game. Of course, creative licensing can always be used for the sake of the Last of Us TV series, and it wouldn't be unusual to see producers making the character a few years older for the live-action version of the story. Still rather young, Dever can also plausibly portray a teenager as other twenty-somethings have been doing in movies and TV for decades.

For her part, Dever says she's aware of the buzz online about her playing the role, going on to make it clear she'd "absolutely love to" be a part of The Last of Us if given the opportunity. From the interview:

"I obviously have been seeing the Internet, and I've obviously been seeing a lot of that. Neil Druckmann, I worked with him on Uncharted 4. I think he's one of the smartest guys I've ever met, and one of the sweetest. And I'm not shutting it down, you know? I'm not shutting it down. I would absolutely love to do that. But I don't know where it's at yet. But I love The Last Of Us."

Other names suggested by fans for the role of Ellie include Maisie Williams, Millie Bobby Brown, and Mckenna Grace. As for her traveling companion, Joel, Williams' Game of Thrones co-star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has already been imagined in the role in some interesting fan art. Other popular names fans want to see play Joel include Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Hugh Jackman, and Jon Bernthal. In the original video game, Ellie and Joel are voiced by Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker.

Aside from her role in Booksmart, Dever also appeared in the movies Bad Teacher, Short Term 12, and Them That Follow. On the small screen, Dever had recurring roles on Justified, Last Man Standing, and the Netflix miniseries Unbelievable. Time will tell if she'll be able to add The Last of Us to her body of work as well, but it appears many fans of the game would be happy if so. This news comes to us from Collider.