The Last of Us fans make casting demands after HBO announces TV adaptation

Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin will write the series, but it is not yet known who will play the two lead roles

HBO has announced they are making a live-action TV adaptation of the best-selling PlayStation game The Last of Us.

The series will be helmed by Craig Mazin, the filmmaker who won great acclaim in 2019 for his HBO miniseries Chernobyl.

Fans of the game have already taken to Twitter to celebrate the news, and speculate about who could be cast in the two lead roles.

First released in 2013, The Last of Us was set in the post-apocalyptic US, and focused on the jaded, middle-aged Joel, and his spirited teenage ward Ellie, as the pair travel across a country populated by zombies.

One user said: “Honestly if they dont cast hugh jackman in the last of us ..what’s the point. [sic]” Another suggested Kaitlyn Dever (Unbelievable) would be the perfect choice to play Ellie.

Tom Holland and Ellen Page are among some of the other popular suggestions.

The game is seen as a landmark in video game storytelling, with motion capture performances by Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson attracting particular praise.

However, it is expected that the original actors will not reprise their roles in the series.

The Last of Us’ creative director Neil Druckmann will also be heavily involved in the project, but not before finishing work on the upcoming PS4 sequel, The Last of Us Part II, which is due to hit shelves in May.