While the leads have been recast, several of The Last of Us video game voice actors are returning for roles in HBO’s TV show adaptation. Joel and Ellie will take center stage for the TV show, just as with the video game, but The Last of Us’ protagonists will be played by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey respectively. It’s not unusual for an adaptation to recast characters, particularly when moving from voice acting to live-action, but The Last of Us is breaking some trends.
While the human population has been much reduced by the events of the main story in The Last of Us, there are still plenty of places for the original voice actors to appear. Alongside new actors playing old faces and entirely new characters, several of the original voice actors have been confirmed for appearances in the HBO live-action The Last of Us adaptation. As video games have advanced, voice actors are often performing motion capture as well as speaking their lines, so the skills are certainly all there. Here is every video game voice actor that will appear and what is known about their roles in the TV show.
Troy Baker
The voice of Joel Miller in The Last of Us video games, Troy Baker has been confirmed to appear in HBO’s The Last of Us TV show. Exact details on his role have been kept secret for the time being, but Sony has stated that it will be a “major role” (via EW) and Baker has teased conversations that he had on set with Pedro Pascal. While a “major” role could mean recurring appearances, it could also just mean that he has an important role in the story.
Most established existing characters have had casting announcements, but there are some possible roles remaining Troy Baker could fill in HBO’s The Last of Us, as well as original roles that would be a suitable fit. An original role could be created for Troy Baker that would take advantage of some of the talents he portrayed in The Last of Us Part II. Music is integral to the second game’s messaging, and a special easter egg in the credits lets you hear Troy Baker perform Pearl Jam’s “Future Days” in its entirety, so a role that sees Baker play a musician in one of the survivor camps would make sense and could help to underscore the themes of the story.
For a role from the game, the actor for David, a villainous character that appears in The Last of Us' Winter chapter has not been revealed, despite images of Joel and Ellie in the snow and announcements that the series will cover the full story of The Last of Us Part I. Troy Baker would be a good fit for the role and, but it would be very different to his portrayal of Joel, avoiding comparisons to Pedro Pascal’s performance as Joel. In the video game, David is played by Nolan North, who voiced Nathan Drake in Naughty Dog’s Uncharted franchise, so Troy Baker taking over the role for HBO’s The Last of Us would be somewhat poetic.
Ashley Johnson
Like Troy Baker, Ashley Johnson, the voice of Ellie in The Last of Us, has been announced as having an undisclosed but “major” role. Her appearance in HBO’s adaptation could well be tied to Troy Baker’s with the two performing a song together. This is supported by the fact that the two actors have performed songs together as part of their press tours for The Last of Us Part II.
However, there is perhaps a natural role for Ashley Johnson to play in HBO’s The Last of Us. One character whose actor remains strangely unannounced is Maria Miller, wife of Joel’s younger brother Tommy. She is a force to be reckoned with, and plays a significant part in the story of both the first and second The Last of Us video games. As well as being a good fit for her talents, a role as Maria would give Johnson a chance to get justifiably angry at Joel – something that Ellie often finds it necessary to do in the games.
Merle Dandridge
In The Last of Us Part 1, Merle Dandridge voicing the head of the Fireflies, Marlene. While Joel is not a huge fan of Marlene or the Fireflies, she is the character that entrusts Ellie into Joel’s care to be transported to meet up with a group of Fireflies outside the city. Unlike Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, Merle Dandridge’s role in HBO’s The Last of Us TV series has been fully announced as she is breaking an adaptation trend by portraying the same character once again. Merle Dandridge’s Marlene portrayal coming to live-action is exciting, and it leaves a question as to whether her story will be changed from the games or play out in exactly the same way.
Jeffrey Pierce
First appearing in the prologue, then again much later in The Last of Us Part I and again in The Last of Us Part II, Tommy was voiced by Jeffrey Pierce. Tommy Miller, younger brother to Joel and husband to Maria, will be played by Gabriel Luna in HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation. Rather than reprising his video game role, Jeffrey Pierce will be appearing as a brand new character called Perry (via THR). Perry is described as a rebel in a quarantine zone.
This description suggests that Jeffrey Pierce’s Perry will play one of two roles in HBO’s The Last of Us. It’s possible that he is a rebel against FEDRA in the Boston Quarantine Zone and friends of the smugglers Joel and Tess (Anna Torv). However, most rebels in the area are Fireflies, and Perry is set to appear in more than one episode, so Joel and Ellie’s quick departure from the city might make this unlikely.
The other likely role for Jeffrey Pierce’s Perry is as a member of the Hunters that Joel and Ellie come across in Pittsburg. This group revolted against FEDRA and turned against the Fireflies. An unhappy group, there is a lot of infighting and in The Last of Us the Hunters have mercilessly killed and executed many people, meaning Jeffrey Pierce’s character might be much darker in the TV series than his role as Tommy in the video games.
Other Returning The Last Of Us Production Crew
As well as voice talent, several other people who worked on the video games are returning to work on HBO’s The Last of Us TV show. With returning creatives and producers backing up skilled actors, there’s reason to think that The Last of Us will break through traditionally low expectations of video game adaptations and truly capture the atmosphere of the original. Here are all the other production staff who are returning from working on the games.
Neil Druckmann: Having written both The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II, Neil Druckmann makes perfect sense as a returning writer for The Last of Us HBO adaptation. The first season is co-written by Druckmann and Craig Mazin, with each writing some episodes apart and some together.
Gustavo Santaolalla: Responsible for the score for the video games, Gustavo Santaolalla will be returning to The Last of Us for the HBO TV show as he composes the score, meaning more haunting acoustic guitar is sure to play an important role.
Evan Wells: The co-president of Naughty Dog alongside Neil Druckmann, Evan Wells worked behind the scenes for The Last of Us video games and now joins the HBO adaptation of the story as an executive producer.
Juan Luqui: Having worked as a composer on The Last of Us Part II, Juan Luqui will be joining Santaolalla in the music department of the HBO show as he composes additional music for the series.
Maggie Macdonald: As motion capture has become such a huge part of video games, it’s important to remember that that means stunt performers are needed. Maggie Macdonald performed stunt motion capture in The Last of Us Part II as well as playing the Portable Gamer Girl. Having also worked on Captain America: Civil War, Resident Evil Village, and Raya and the Last Dragon, Macdonald is now serving as an assistant stunt coordinator for HBO’s The Last of Us.