Pedro Pascal, of Narcos, Game of Thrones, and Star Wars: The Mandalorian fame, will play iconic protagonist Joel in HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us. Pascal will lead the adaptation together with another Game of Thrones actor, fan-favorite Bella Ramsey, who portrayed Lyanna Mormont in the fantasy series.

Over the last few years, Pascal has become a Hollywood darling, scoring one major role after another. Breaking out as Oberyn Martell in HBO's Game of Thrones, he went on to lead Narcos, portraying DEA agent Javier Peña, before scoring perhaps the role of The Mandalorian in Lucasfilm's eponymous series, and Wonder Woman 1984 villain Maxwell Lord.  For his screen co-star Ramsey, The Last of Us will be her first shot at a major leading role after supporting roles in Game of Thrones and His Dark Materials. 

HBO's The Last of Us series, expected to drop sometime in 2021, is being made by Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann, together with HBO series Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin. 

As a reminder, another popular Naughty Dog franchises is also being adapted into a live action production. The Uncharted movie, starring Spiderman actor Tom Holland as Nathan Drake and The Departed's Mark Wahlberg as Victor Sullivan, is expected February 2022.