Although the idea of watching a post-apocalyptic drama based on a pandemic outbreak may sound a little too close-to-home for some right now, the creation of HBO’s new series The Last Of Us – based on the popular video game of the same name – is well underway.  

For a while now, fans of the game – which was first released in 2013 – have been speculating about who will play the lead roles of Joel and Ellie in the series. And now, we finally know who those actors will be.

Both of the lead roles in the series will be taken on by stars of the Game Of Thrones franchise. Taking on the role of Joel will be Pedro Pascal, who played Oberyn Martell in the hit series and also stars in Disney+’s The Mandalorian. Bella Ramsey, who played Lyanna Mormont in GOT and appeared in the BBC’s second season of His Dark Materials, will play 14-year-old Ellie.

Avid fans of the game previously suggested that GOT’s Maisie Williams should take on the role of Ellie (although she’s almost 10 years older than the character), so it seems fitting that one of her co-stars has ended up being cast.

Another exciting cast announcement is recently announced Storm Reid. The young Euphoria actor – who stars as Rue’s (Zendaya) younger sister Gia in the series – is confirmed to be joining the cast of The Last Of Us as Riley. Sharing the news on her Twitter, she wrote: “I got some NEWS

“Beyond excited to join the cast of #TheLastOfUs as Riley on @HBO. Let’s get to work. 2022 looking bright already.”

The Last Of Us’ cast also includes Gabriel Luna (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as Tommy, Broadway musical performer and actor Merle Dandridge as Marlene, Jeffrey Pierce (Charlie Jade) as Perry, Anna Torv (Mindhunter) as Tess, Nico Parker as Sarah, Murray Bartlett as Frank and Nick Offerman (Parks And Recreation) as Bill.

As previously reported by Stylist, although we don’t know much about when the show will hit our screens, we do know what the series will be about, thanks to its highly-popular source material. 

The Last Of Us follows the story of Joel and Ellie 20 years after a parasitic infection has led to the destruction of modern civilization in the US. The fictional disease, which is based on a real-life parasitic infection known as Cordyceps which infects small bugs like ants and spiders, renders its victims into blood-thirsty, zombie-like creatures with fungal growths erupting from their bodies.

For Joel, this makes his mission – to travel across the country and escort Ellie to a safe house outside the quarantine zone – ten times harder, and the pair have to work together to navigate a series of life-threatening situations, all of which bring the unlikely pair closer.

Because Pascal and Ramsey never appeared in Game Of Thrones at the same time as each other, we’ll be excited to see how the pair perform together on screen. Although, as we’ve already said, we may have to wait sometime to see the two actors in action.

We’ll keep our eyes peeled for more information as and when we get it, so keep your eyes peeled on our guide to everything you need to know about The Last Of Us for the latest information. 

Images: Getty; Naughty Dog; Sony Entertainment