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In a major casting development, English actress Bella Ramsey has officially bagged the lead role of Ellie in the television adaptation of best-selling video-game series, The Last of Us.
The 17-year-old is best known for her fiery portrayal of Lyanna Mormont in the popular medieval fantasy series, Game of Thrones.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Bella Ramsey has been finalized as the lead and is now slated to star in the ambitious HBO project, which is being developed by "Chernobyl" creator Craig Mazin and Creative Director of The Last of Us Neil Druckmann.
With the beloved character of Ellie now officially being cast, Twitter soon erupted with reactions as a majority of users gave their willing nod of approval to the first round of casting.
Twitter responds as Bella Ramsey cast as Ellie in The Last Of Us; Mahershala Ali to play Joel?
What also ended up piquing the interest of fans of the franchise is the rumored casting of two-time Academy-Award winner Mahershala Ali as Joel.
The casting of Joel constitutes one of the biggest dilemmas for fans, as they seem to be torn between the likes of Hugh Jackman and another Game of Thrones star, Jaime Lannister aka Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
However, according to a much-needed clarification by The Hollywood Reporter, Mahershala Ali will not be playing Joel in the HBO series:
"One person not involved with the show is former True Detective star Mahershala Ali, whom geek websites on Wednesday had pegged as having an offer. Ali did circle the role, say sources, but a deal never came to fruition"
With Bella Ramsey now being finalized to portray Ellie, fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the same:
Australian personality Alanah Pearce also clapped back at a few users who claimed that Bella Ramsey does not resemble Ellie:
Bella Ramsey's casting has once again triggered the Joel debate, as fans took advantage of the opportunity to petition for her Game of Thrones co-star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to be brought onboard as Joel:
Bella Ramsey's casting is now sure to open a whole new Pandora's box about The Last Of Us casting, as critics and fans duke it out online.
With Ellie officially being cast, all eyes are now on Joel as the Last Of Us casting race heats up.
Update: Pedro Pascal has been cast as Joel in the Last of Us series
