Bella Ramsey will not be recast as Ellie on the popular HBO Max series “The Last of Us,” creators have confirmed.
Fans were wondering if the 19-year-old star would reprise the role for season 2. While Ramsey plays a 14-year-old girl in the first season, which is based on a video game of the same name, the second part jumps forward five years. This led to speculation that Ellie’s role could be recast to better reflect the character’s age.
Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann addressed the rumors during a virtual press conference ahead of the season finale on Sunday. “Let’s put this thing to rest,” Druckmann said of the rampant rumors.
“One of the things about the casting process that’s tough is that we invite people to join us on this process, and we know everything [about the secrets of the production] and nobody else knows anything except what they know, which is the game,” Mazin said, per Entertainment Weekly.
He continued, “We know what we’re gonna do in terms of costume and makeup and hair, but more importantly, we also know the spirit and soul of the actor.”
Mazin went on to discuss how “The Last of Us” fans were initially upset that Ramsey had a different look compared to Ellie in gameplay. The series co-creator talked about how that controversy was eventually resolved.
“I’m like, ‘It doesn’t matter. Watch! Just watch what happens.’ And now they know,” he said. “I think there is still this constant drumbeat of anxiety. All I can say to people is, I have so much anxiety myself about doing a good job on this. Just know I am also very anxious. If you’re anxious about something, I’m probably anxious about it, which means we’re talking about it and thinking about it.”
The series has been both praised and criticized for deviating from the game’s storylines. While most of “The Last of Us” follows the original content closely, including many shot-for-shot copies, certain elements were changed or embellished.
The love story between Frank and Bill in episode 3, “Long, Long, Time,” is one example of the showrunners adding to the existing story to flesh out characters. Many game fans accused it of being unnecessary filler, while others said it gave the series depth.
Mazin said during the press conference that “The Last of Us” season 2 would also be different than Part II of the game.
“It will be different just as this season was different [from the first game],” he noted. “Sometimes it will be different radically, and sometimes it will be [barely] different at all. But it’s going to be different and it will be its own thing. It won’t be exactly like the game. It will be the show that Neil and I want to make. But we are making it with Bella.”
“The only way we would ever, ever consider re-casting Bella is if she said, ‘I don’t want to work with you guys anymore,'” Druckmann agreed. “And even then, we’re not sure we would grant her that. We might still force her to come back to season 2.”
