Breakout Game of Thrones star Bella Ramsey has been cast as Ellie in HBO's upcoming adaptation of the hit video game The Last of Us, but she was not the first actress from the show considered for this leading role. Maisie Williams, who played Arya Stark, was considered for the part in the development stages of a feature film version of The Last of Us. Not only were the two actors part of the same series, they also played characters with similar qualities, making Ramsey a perfect fit for a role that almost went to Williams.
Released in 2013, The Last of Us is a survival video game that takes place in a post-apocalyptic United States ravaged by a parasitic fungus that turns its hosts into cannibalistic monsters. The game follows smuggler Joel, who will be played by Pedro Pascal in the series, as he brings Ellie, a teenaged survivor, across the US. The game focuses heavily on their relationship, as the two grow closer and learn more about each other's pasts.
The game was a critical and commercial success - it was awarded Game of the Year by multiple publications and was the tenth best-selling game of 2013. Adapting it to the big screen felt like a logical first step, especially since The Last of Us' story was so compelling. Plans for the film were announced in 2014, with Sam Raimi attached to produce and Neil Druckmann, the game's creative director, writing the screenplay. Williams, already well-known for her strong performance in Game of Thrones, was in talks with Raimi and Druckmann to star as Ellie. Williams expressed excitement about The Last of Us role, and fans reacted positively to the development, even fan-casting fellow Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) as Joel.
However, there was no official confirmation of Williams taking the role, and the film adaptation later stalled due to a disagreement between Druckmann and Sony. HBO announced that it would be producing a television adaptation of The Last of Us in 2020, with Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin at the helm. Since this would be an entirely different project than the film adaptation, Williams would no longer be attached. However, the casting remained in the Game of Thrones family, as Ramsey, a scene-stealer in her role as Lyanna Mormont, would be taking the lead role.
Williams and Ramsey share several qualities, as do their Game of Thrones counterparts, suggesting why they may have both been considered for - and in one case, was cast in - the role of Ellie. Both are talented actors who got their starts as children and rose to fame on Game of Thrones. Arya and Lyanna are both proud members of Northern Houses, Stark and Mormont, and they're both loyal and protective of their own. Even the show highlights the parallels between the two: in Game of Thrones season 8, episode 3, "The Long Night," the episode cuts between Arya fighting the wights surging into Winterfell and Lyanna killing a reanimated giant. It positions them both as fierce Northern fighters who would do anything to protect their home.
This fierceness is a quality that extends to Ellie in The Last of Us, and if Ramsey's performance in Game of Thrones is any indication, she will be able to perfectly convey these strong levels of emotion. Williams may not have gotten the chance to play Ellie, but she would surely have been able to do the same. Regardless, both are talented actors, and their association with The Last of Us and Game of Thrones remains a fascinating connection.