The Last Of Us Voice Actors Troy Baker And Ashley Johnson To Have Roles In The HBO Series
It's a huge day for "The Last of Us" fans. In addition to a long-awaited first look at Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in the roles of Joel and Ellie, attendees at Summer Games Fest were also treated to a special announcement about the series' cast. Voice actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, who played Joel and Ellie in the Naughty Dog game on which the HBO series is based, joined series co-creator, writer, EP, and director Neil Druckmann on stage at the event to announce that they'll appear in the new series.
Though no other details about the pair's roles were immediately available, a press release from Warner Media confirms that the duo will be playing different characters than the ones they originated in the 2013 game. This obviously makes sense, since Pascal and Ramsey scored the lead parts in the upcoming adaptation after years of fan anticipation and an abandoned movie adaptation. With over a dozen hours of gameplay to pull from for its 10-episode season, "The Last of Us" could find any number of roles for Baker and Johnson.
The cast includes four of the game's voice actors
The series' main cast has already been announced and includes Gabriel Luna ("Terminator: Dark Fate"), Nico Parker ("Dumbo"), Murray Bartlett ("The White Lotus"), Nick Offerman ("Parks and Recreation"), and Anna Torv ("Fringe"). Actors Jeffrey Pierce and Merle Dandridge are two other alumni from the video games who are making the leap to the on-screen adaptation. In the games, "Bosch" actor Pierce voiced Tommy, Joel's brother, but he'll be playing a character named Perry in the new series. Dandridge ("The Flight Attendant") will be reprising the same role she played in the games, that of Fireflies militia leader Marlene.
"The Last of Us" may lend itself to voice-to-screen actor crossover more than most franchises, as the video games used motion capture technology to incorporate the voice actors' physical performances into the game's stunning visuals. Thus, actors who already look and act just like their characters' video game counterparts — because, well, they were those counterparts — are often a perfect match for the on-screen role as well. Druckmann, who is helming the new series, also wrote and directed the video game.
Though the first "The Last of Us" game often gets the most praise, the franchise now includes a sequel and an add-on story called "The Last of Us: Left Behind," meaning the TV show could run for several seasons. We'll be on the lookout for Baker and Johnson when it arrives, whether they're playing new original characters or are decked out in zombie prosthetics.
"The Last of Us" will debut on HBO, but does not yet have a release date.