After the news broke that Mandalorian and Game of Thrones star Pedro Pascal has been cast as Joel in HBO’s TV adaptation of The Last Of Us, fans have already begun to imagine what his take on the character might look like. One fan artist has gone beyond simple Photoshop mockups, with a lovingly rendered take on Pascal with Joel’s beard and scruffy style.
After being posted to Reddit by artist Andrea C. White, the painting was soon shared on Twitter by Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann, who is also serving as a writer on the HBO series.
Another artwork being shared around by fans is by artist Taryn Platt, who envisioned Pascal as Joel along with his co-star Bella Ramsey as Ellie. The two are both Game of Thrones alumni, with Ramsey stealing the spotlight in later seasons as the fierce young noblewoman Lyanna Mormont.
Both pieces of fanart show interpretations of the characters that are closely aligned with their video game equivalents but it’s likely that, as with Netflix’s Witcher series, the live-action adaptation will put its own spin on both the characters and the story.
Executive producer Craig Mazin has said that the TV show will feature both characters and events not depicted in the games, but has assured fans that with Druckmann on board, the TV show will be intended to expand on TLOU’s world, not rewrite it.