The decision for who will take up the role of Joel in HBO’s upcoming adaptation of Naughty Dog’sThe Last of Usseries has finally been announced. It looks like the series will be pulling from another hugely popular series, asThe Mandalorian’s Pedro Pascalpicks up another huge role in a highly anticipated new adaptation.
This does cancel out therumors of Mahershala Alihaving been eyed for the role, but it’s likely that this casting will still be well in-line with fan expectations. Since Pascal has seen a massive rise in popularity, due to a number of quality performances betweenThe Mandalorianand the recentWonder Woman 1984film released on HBO Max, fans will likely be excited to see the actor step into Joel’s shoes.
RELATED:Why The Day Before is Being Compared to The Last of Us
With Pascal’s casting announced not long after the reveal ofBella Ramsay as Ellie, it looks like fans can start getting a good idea of how the upcoming adaptation ofThe Last of Usis going to look. Some fans, as well as Joel’s original voice actor Troy Baker, want to see exactly what Pascal could bring to the character from some of the actor’s previous roles. For one, the differences between the eccentric role of Maxwell Lord inWonder Woman 1984, juxtaposed with the hyper-serious portrayal of Mando inThe Mandalorianshows the range Pascal has access to.
There were a number of actors that some fans and insiders had suggested for the role, in a few cases for previous roles similar to Joel, and others for them meeting the physicality shown inThe Last of Us. While Pedro Pascal isn’t exactly a one-to-one match for Joel’s face, some recent adaptations, like Netflix’sThe Witcher,have shown that actors like Henry Cavill can still fit the role perfectly without looking exactly like what fans are used to. Most notably, Pascal’s range and previous success as characters who can fit the bill for both hero and villain, likeKingsman: The Golden Circle’s Whiskey, should ease fans that the actor can play both parts of Joel’s character.
Fans of Naughty Dog’s game series are slightly of two minds aboutHBO’sThe Last of Usadaptation, due mostly to the way that so many games have failed to make the transition into film. However, the talent pool that the showrunners have pulled from previous works, such as the two formerGame of Thronesactors for Ellie and Joel, there is reason enough for fans to be excited. Hopefully, Pascal can bring a whole new level of complexity to Joel that will only be available now that his actions are out of the players' hands.
MORE:The Last of Us 2 Features Rabbit Hunting Reaction Meme Easter Egg
