HBO and Max have announced that production of The Last of Us Season 2 has already started. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will return to their roles as Joel and Ellie, respectively.
While most fans are pumped as the countdown to the show’s 2025 release has started, some can’t help but express their concerns over X and Reddit about one glaring detail:
The second part of the well-loved video game is set five years after the events of the first one, which is expected to be the same timeline for Season 2. However, some viewers have noted that Ramsey did not age a bit, both in the set photos and the official first look, thus wanting Ellie recast.
In Part II, Ellie is 19 years old, ageing noticeably as a brutal and defiant character in a post-apocalyptic world.
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Fans have defended Ramsey, who is currently 20 years old at the time of production. The fresh-faced actress first gained popularity as the young but fierce Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones and has since moved on to portray Ellie to critical acclaim, even bagging high-profile acting nods and awards.
In the past, series co-creator Neil Druckmann has been firm in their casting of Ramsey as Ellie, even for Season 2. "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,'" he shared. "And even then, we're not sure we would grant her that.”
Druckmann is also the game’s co-director and writer. "When we made the game, I felt we were incredibly lucky. It was like lightning in the bottle that we found Ashley Johnson (the actress who played Ellie in the game) and I can't imagine that version of Ellie being anybody else.”
“And then somehow we got lightning in the bottle again with Bella," he adds.
The Last of Us Season 2 will be released in 2025. The first season is available to stream on Max.
Also Read: The Last of Us Showrunners Won’t Repeat Game of Thrones’ Mistake
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The Last of Us