The Last of Us HBO Series: Who We Want to Play Joel and Ellie

Yesterday, HBO and PlayStation Productions announced that, together, they will be making a TV series out of The Last of Us, which will be replacing the previously announced Sam Raimi movie. Unfortunately, details on the show are currently quite scarce. We know it will cover the events of the first game, at least at first, and we know it’s “coming soon.” And that’s all we know. There’s been no word of a release window, how many episodes will make up the debut season, or who will be playing the series’ characters. Of course, there’s not much speculation to be had about the former two topics, but there is plenty of speculation we can do about the latter topic.

Who will play Joel and Ellie? This is a good question. Of the two, Joel is the easier casting. In the game, Ellie is only 14, which means HBO and PlayStation Productions will need to either find a teenage actress or an actress in their twenties who can play down to a teenager, which seemingly rules out one of the most popular picks for the role: Ellen Page. The Canadian actress can certainly still play older teenagers, but at 33, 14-year-old Ellie would be a hard sell for her.

That said, while Ellen Page is seemingly off the table, Chloe Grace Moretz would be a great option. Not only can Moretz make a convincing 14 year old, but she has the presence for the role. Further, she’s an incredible actress with credits across Kick-Ass, Let Me In, Carrie, Equalizer, and If I Stay.

In addition to Moretz, Millie Bobby Brown would also be a great choice for Ellie. Not only does Brown also have the acting chops to do the character justice, but she’s only 16, which makes her very well suited to portray the teenage character. Further, thanks to her role as Eleven in Stranger Things, Brown could bring a household face to the show, which is also a nice extra perk.

Of course, it would be great if the casting looked like Ellie, but what’s more important is getting an actress with some serious acting chops, as well as some who’s prepared to become a ruthless badass in future seasons.

As mentioned above, Joel is probably the easier of the two castings. White, grizzled middle-aged man with a beard and hard exterior that hides a huge soft side. That’s a pretty easy casting. That said, if HBO wants to nail this casting, then all they need to get is Hugh Jackman, who already proved in Logan he can play an incredible Joel. Not only is Jackman ideal for the role, but he brings starpower to the show.

Again, there’s a lot of actors who could probably fill the shoes of Joel. Heck, even Troy Baker — the actor behind the video game character — wouldn’t be a bad choice. Christian Bale would be a great option too, but he hasn’t done any TV work since the 90s. And this may be a bit of a problem for getting Jackman as well, who hasn’t done much TV work himself. However, if someone can get big Hollywood actors to the TV screen, it’s probably HBO.

At the moment of publishing, The Last of Us currently doesn’t have a release date. For more news, media, rumors, and leaks on the tv show, be sure to take a second and peruse all of our past and recent coverage of the adaptation by clicking right here. Meanwhile, as always, feel free to drop a comment or two with your thoughts or, alternatively, hit me up on Twitter @Tyler_Fischer_ and let me know over there