‘The Last of Us’ HBO Series Casts Pedro Pascal as Joel, ‘Game of Thrones’ Breakout Bella Ramsey as Ellie

UPDATED: The upcoming “The Last of Us” series adaptation at HBO has cast Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey in the role of Ellie, Variety has confirmed.

Neil Druckmann, a writer and creative director for “The Last of Us” video game and a co-creator of the series, confirmed the news about Pascal on Twitter, writing: “Aaaaand there’s the other half. Stoked to have Pedro aboard our show!”

Aaaaand there’s the other half. Stoked to have Pedro aboard our show! https://t.co/Etsjvfb2Wi

— Dr. Uckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) February 11, 2021

Pascal has seen great success as the star of Disney Plus’ “The Mandalorian.” He also recently appeared alongside Gal Gadot and Kristen Wiig as the villainous Maxwell Lord in “Wonder Woman 1984.”

Ramsey is best known for her role as Lyanna Mormont in fellow HBO series “Game of Thrones.” The character Ellie is a 14-year old orphan who has never known anything but a ravaged planet. In the show, she struggles to balance her instinct for anger and defiance with her need for connection and belonging as well as the newfound reality that she may be the key to saving the world.

“The Last of Us” series was first announced as being in development at the premium cabler back in March, with the show landing a formal series order in November. Based on the video game of the same name, the series takes place twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie 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.

“Chernobyl” creator Craig Mazin is attached to write and executive produce the series along with Druckmann. Carolyn Strauss will also executive produce along with Evan Wells, president of game development studio Naughty Dog. PlayStation Productions’ Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan will also executive produce. Kantemir Balagov is set to direct the pilot. The project is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television. PlayStation Productions, Word Games, and Naughty Dog produce. The project is the first television series from PlayStation Productions.

In addition to her scene-stealing role in “Game of Thrones,” Ramsey also appeared in the HBO-BBC One series adaptation of “His Dark Materials.” Her other TV credits include voicing the lead character in animated series “Hilda” as well as starring in “The Worst Witch.” Her feature credits include “Holmes & Watson,” “Judy,” and “Resistance.”

She is repped by Conway van Gelder Grant and Gang Tyre.

“The Last of Us” was originally released in 2013 to strong critical praise from industry critics and fans alike. It was reported last year that the game has sold in excess of 20 million copies in total in addition to having won numerous awards. “The Last of Us Part II” was released in June.

The Hollywood Reporter first broke Ramsey’s casting.

Ellise Shafer contributed to this report.