We already know a movie based on The Last of Us is in the works, and we now know a candidate to play the female lead: Maisie Williams, best known for her portrayal Arya Stark on Game of Thrones, could star as Ellie.
Williams’ name was cited by Naughty Dog creative director Neil Druckmann–who is set to write the film’s script–during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con today. Sam Raimi, the director of Spider-Man and The Evil Dead, was confirmed as a producer on the film; he was previously known to be involved, but his exact role was not.
The prospect of Williams playing Ellie was brought up on Twitter back in April. This resulted in Williams herself responding, “100% would not say no. Ever.” Druckmann replied, “[T]hat makes two of us.” Bruce Straley, co-lead on The Last of Us, joined in, adding, “Am I allowed to be a third wheel to YES this?!”
The 17-year-old Williams has not yet been signed to play Ellie, so you shouldn’t take it as a given that she will star alongside whomever ends up playing Joel.
Druckmann described the film earlier this year as an “adaptation” of the game’s story. “As far as where we go and how we make it fit into a film, how it takes into account the unique properties of film… We’re not sure yet,” he said. “We’re only just scratching the surface.”
Those who have played The Last of Us will know that, at age 17, Williams is several years older than Ellie in the games. The game version of Ellie is played by 30-year-old Ashley Johnson, though obviously age is less of a consideration when doing voiceover and motion-capture work.
We’ll get the chance to see what it’s like to experience The Last of Us in a different format on Monday. Johnson, along with Troy Baker (who plays Joel in the games) and several other voice actors will do a live performance of select portions of the game just prior to the release of The Last of Us Remastered for PlayStation 4 on Tuesday.
Who would you like to see cast in the roles of Ellie and Joel? Let us know in the comments.
Chris Pereira is a freelance writer for GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @TheSmokingManX |
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