The Last of Us creators confirm they won't recast Ellie for season two despite time jump
Topics: Bella Ramsey, Celebrity, Entertainment, Film and TV, The Last of Us, HBO
Rachel Lang
Featured Image Credit: HBO. Naughty Dog.
Topics: Bella Ramsey, Celebrity, Entertainment, Film and TV, The Last of Us, HBO
The Last of Us will continue with Bella Ramsey as one of the show's lead actors, despite season two jumping ahead in time.
Gamers familiar with the story from the game of the same name will already know that Ellie's character, played by Ramsey, is aged up by five years for The Last of Us: Part II.
Ramsey's character is currently a 14-year-old girl, who will jump ahead to become a 19-year-old young woman for the television version's second season.
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Some fans have called for the show to recast youthful-looking Ramsey, who is actually already 19 years of age.
But the show's creators are having not one bar of that nonsense.
Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann confirmed at a press conference via Entertainment Weekly that they won't recast Ramsey.
Mazin said that while fans may know the game, they had better leave the film and casting directions up to the experts.
"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," he said.
"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.
"Sometimes it will be radically different, and sometimes it will be [barely] different at all. But it's going to be different and it will be its own thing."
Mazin, who also created HBO heavyweight Chernobyl, went on to issue a clear message to viewers.
"It won't be exactly like the game," he revealed.
"It will be the show that Neil and I want to make - but we are making it with Bella."
Druckmann, who also wrote the video game, praised Ramsey for what turned out to be a twice-in-a-lifetime casting.
"It was like lightning in the bottle that we found Ashley Johnson [who plays Ellie in the game] and I can't imagine that version of Ellie being anybody else," he said, as per Entertainment Weekly.
"And then somehow we got lightning in the bottle again with Bella."
He went on to add: "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.'
"And even then, we're not sure we would grant her that.
"We might still force her to come back to season two."
So there you have it. Bella Ramsey's Ellie, as we know and love her, isn't changing anytime soon.