Bella Ramsey cast as Ellie in HBO's LAST OF US TV Series

HBO has found its lead for its forthcoming television adaptation of the video game franchise The Last of Us, and it did not have to look very far. Bella Ramsey, who has starred in both Game of Thrones and His Dark Materials for the cable network, has been cast in the role.

17-year-old Ramsey was a surprise breakout star on Game of Thrones, playing the role of the young Lady Lyanna Mormont in the last three seasons of the show. From there she moved to playing the lead role of Mildred in The Worst Witch and the voice of Hilda in Netflix's Hilda. Last year she played Angelica in the second season of His Dark Materials. In 2019 she won a BAFTA for her role on The Worst Witch.

Ellie is one of the two lead protagonists in The Last of Us, alongside Joel. Mahershala Ali, who previously worked with HBO on the third season of True Detective, was in talks for the role but ultimately declined. It's possible shooting dates may have clashed with his upcoming title performance in Blade, a Marvel Cinematic Universe-set reboot of the Wesley Snipes franchise.

Chernobyl writer Craig Mazin is writing and helping run the show, alongside Neil Druckmann, the writer and director of both games in the series.

The Last of Us (2013) and The Last of Us Part II (2020), set in a post-apocalyptic world, are two of the most critically-acclaimed games of the last generation, praised for their writing and character development. The two games have sold some 30 million copies between them.