HBO has many PlayStation gamers excited after announcing their plans to develop a TV series based on the hit game The Last of Us this week, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau appears to be among the frontrunners of social media fantasy casting suggestions to play the show’s live-action Joel.
Of course, Coster-Waldau is no stranger to the network, as he’s best known for his starring role on the HBO series Game of Thrones as Sir Jaime Lannister. With the hit medieval series in the can, Coster-Waldau has a bit more time on his hands, and many of his fans are calling for him to next take on The Last of Us.
Released in 2013, The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic survival video game set many years after a viral outbreak destroyed the world. Players take on the role of a smuggler named Joel who is tasked with protecting a teenage traveling companion named Ellie, whom he comes to care for during the course of their difficult journey. In addition to scavengers and raiders, Joel and Ellie must also avoid former humans turned bloodthirsty zombies as a result of the viral outbreak. The game was a tremendous hit for Sony, prompting the production of the upcoming sequel The Last of Us Part II.
Initially, there were plans to develop The Last of Us as a feature film, but those plans wound up falling through when the project died in development hell. It has found a new life in the form of a television series, with Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin collaborating with The Last of Us writer and creative director Neil Druckmann to write and executive produce the upcoming show. The series will officially serve as the first television project from PlayStation Productions, and the show may also incorporate elements from the sequel game in addition to the original title.
There is also a lot of debate online over who should play Ellie. Ellen Page has come up often, but her attachment doesn’t seem likely. When the game was originally released, Page took notice of the physical similarities between herself and the character, accusing the developers of “ripping off” her likeness without permission. Still, many other names are coming up as suggestions for Ellie as well. Recent BossLogic fan art imagines Mckenna Grace in the role alongside Hugh Jackman as Joel. Kaitlyn Denver (Unbelievable), Sophia Lillis (IT), and Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things) have also come up in online fan speculation.
Several different ideas for Joel have also been suggested, but Coster-Waldau appears to be coming up more often than others. In addition to tweets suggesting his casting, he has also been made the subject of memes and fan art imagining him in the part. Below, you can take a look at some new fan art of Coster-Waldau as Joel and Sadie Sink as Ellie from digital artists spdrmnkyxxiii and BritEdit, along with some tweets from Game of Thrones fans pushing for Coster-Waldau’s potential casting as Joel in HBO’s The Last of Us series.
Someone suggested Nikolaj Coster-Waldau for the part of Joel in the upcoming #TheLastOfUs TV show. And I gotta say, just by the look, that’s pretty spot on. pic.twitter.com/CFoHPJarUd
— Carlos Rivera, Jedi Master⌨🖱 (@hardrocknguy) March 9, 2020
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau for Joel. I MEAM CMON. THE RESEMBLANCE IS UNCANNY #TheLastOfUsHBO#JamieLanister#PLEASE@nikolajcw@HBO@Naughty_Dogpic.twitter.com/fKfwU59kJG
— Taylor Youstra (@TaylorYoustra) March 9, 2020
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau hands down https://t.co/Qv2erLdZlO
— Melissa (@MLannisTarth) March 9, 2020
My ideal Last Of Us HBO casting:
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Joel
Danny Devito as Ellie
Willem Dafoe as every infected— Kyle C. (@Levit0) March 9, 2020
