20 years after a parasitic outbreak sends the world into a dystopian wasteland run by martial law, a smuggler named Joel has his life turned upside down when he meets a little girl who may hold the answer to saving the world. One of the most popular video games of the 2010s, The Last Of Us first debuted in 2013 and has remained immensely popular in the gaming world for nearly a decade.
Known for its outstanding graphics, characters, and storytelling, fans hoped for years that it would be adapted into a feature film, but HBO did them one better and announced in March of 2020 that a full television series is currently in development. Take a look at a list of 10 actors that would be perfect to slip into the iconic roles of the main characters.
Joel: Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Joel Miller was a carpenter and a devoted single dad from Texas, but when his 12-year-old daughter is gunned down in his arms on the night of the outbreak, his entire life changes. Decades later, Joel is a broken, old smuggler who does what he has to in order to survive and to bury the pain and grief he's held onto over the past 20 years.
Known for roles such as Negan in The Walking Dead and John Winchester in Supernatural, Jeffrey Dean Morgan has the look, a decent Southern drawl, and the acting experience to blow this role out of the park.
Ellie: Kaitlyn Dever
Ellie is a teenage girl born after the outbreak, and the harsh life of a world full of monsters and martial law is all that she has ever known. Upon being bitten by one of The Infected, she realizes that she is immune and that she may very well be the key to a vaccine.
Kaitlyn Dever is 23-years-old, but not only does she look much younger than she is, she looks like Ellie! Having proven her range of talent from coming-of-age teen comedy Booksmart to the heart-wrenching crime drama Unbelievable, Dever absolutely has the acting chops to pull this off.
Tess: Evangeline Lilly
A smart, rough-around-the-edges smuggler, Tess is a survivor who doesn't let morals from the old ways of life stop her from doing what she has to do to make a living. Joel's business partner, she is often the brains of the operation, but when push comes to shove, she is a daring risk-taker. She knows her way around a gun and can hold her own in a fight.
Evangeline Lilly has made a career out of playing strong, female leads, such as her most recent role as Hope van Dyke in Marvel's Antman and the Wasp. Tess might be a familiar but intriguing option for the LOST alum.
Tommy: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Tommy survived the outbreak with his older brother Joel, but the two eventually parted ways due to irreconcilable differences. Idealistic and bold, Tommy once joined a group of rebels called The Fireflies, but left when he realized that he no longer agreed with their ways.
Tommy is a good man who won't think twice about risking himself for a friend, but ultimately, he just wants to try to build a normal life in their crazy, messed-up world. Most famous for his role as Jaime Lannister in Game Of Thrones, Nikolaj Coster-Waldeau has the perfect look, as long as he can master the Texan accent.
Bill: Mark Boone Jr.
Bill is a surly, paranoid hermit, who wants nothing more than to be left alone. Living in a ghost town that he has all to himself, Bill has expertly rigged it with booby traps to keep out The Infected, as well as anyone else who tries to come for a visit.
Not in the business of saving people, Bill pretends that he doesn't have feelings, but the truth is, maybe they've just been buried so deep, they're hard to find. Mark Boone Jr., remembered for his role in Sons Of Anarchy, could easily slip into the role of the angry, gun-toting, loner.
Joel: Josh Brolin
Joel is such an iconic and deeply complicated character, it's reasonable that so much thought has gone into casting the perfect man for the role. Josh Brolin is a fan-favorite option that has been endorsed by Joel's voice actor, Troy Baker, himself.
Most recently known for playing the villain role of Thanos in Avengers: Endgame, and Cable in Deadpool 2, Baker feels so strongly about casting Brolin that he once approached him at an airport just to tell him how much he would love for him to consider playing Joel if he was ever asked.
Ellie: Cassady McClincy
It's difficult to cast a character that is meant to be a young teenager in such a taxing emotional and physical role. Cassady McClincy is best known for her role as Lydia, the teenage daughter of the ruthless leader of the Whisperers in The Walking Dead.
She already has experience with fight scenes, weapons, intense emotions, and acting in a dark, apocalyptic world. The actress is only 19-year-old, and already looks significantly younger, so if they age Ellie to about 16-years-old, McClincy should have no problem playing a few years younger for the purpose of the series.
Henry: LaKeith Stanfield
A survivor in his mid-20s, Henry is a protective, big brother who has taken on a parental role since he was 12-years-old. His number one priority is his brother, Sam, and he makes the hard choices to keep him safe. Despite the world around them, Henry has far from lost his humanity. He is kind and eager for company, and easily makes friends with Joel and Ellie.
An exceptional young actor with an incredible range, LaKeith Stanfield would be a huge credit to an HBO series. Whether it's fantasy-comedies like Sorry To Bother You, tear-jerkers like Short Term 12, or a few seconds of raw emotion in Jordan Peele's Get Out, Stanfield can do it all.
David: John Hawkes
David is the smooth-talking and manipulative leader of a group of cannibalistic survivors, and an antagonist in the first game. Reasonable and friendly when he first comes across Ellie all alone, David tries to gain her trust and sweet talk her into joining his group (and according to one of his men, into becoming his new "pet"), but turns sinister when she refuses.
John Hawkes is known for his work in Deadwood, Eastbound and Down, and Three Billboards Outside Of Ebbing, Missouri.
Marlene: Zoe Saldana
The leader of a rebel militia called The Fireflies, Marlene is committed to changing the world, no matter the cost. She works tirelessly to end the oppression of the military government and find a cure for The Infected, but her ways aren't always pretty. Intelligent and dedicated, Marlene is the first to realize that Ellie is immune.
Zoe Saldana is the spitting image of Marlene and has the skills and emotional range to play the empathetic but tough rebel leader. She has starred in massive blockbusters including James Cameron's Avatar, JJ Abram's Star Trek reboots, and Guardians of the Galaxy.