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.Bella Ramsey, perhaps best known for her breakout role as the fierce Lyanna Mormont in HBO’s 'Game of Thrones,' is reuniting with the cabler to star in 'The Last of Us,' the company’s adaptation of the hit video game.https://t.co/AseJuNW1LK— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) February 11, 2021As 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:This is good! Can’t wait to see more from Bella Ramsey, and I think she has the “it factor” to bring Ellie to life. https://t.co/wOm2P9u01G— Craig Green (@Kreggar) February 11, 2021I am all for Bella Ramsey as Ellie— 🍄a Little Bit of Rita🍄 (@love_rita_) February 11, 2021Yes. Honestly Bella Ramsey could play every character— Antonio (@corte_antonio) February 11, 2021I am BEYOND excited Bella Ramsey is going to play a younger Ellie. Her fantastic performances in Game of Thrones gives me the confidence she’s going to do great in this role. Now, WE NEED JOEL CONFIRMED ASAP 😱🔥#TheLastOfUs #ThelastofusHBO https://t.co/Lpi2zSyY1v— AP Nerds (@trueapgaming) February 11, 2021Imo, I think Bella Ramsey is a great choice for Ellie and I'm really excited to see her performance in the show! https://t.co/ccFgHXoF7q pic.twitter.com/YYTBjrOU8u— Captain Gaming (@Captain_Gaming5) February 11, 2021AS SOMEONE WHO JUST OBSERVES THIS GAME'S FANDOM FROM THE OUTSIDE BECAUSE I'M BAD AT GAMES LIKE THAT BUT LOVES BELLA RAMSEY: YES!!! https://t.co/fFWU3RnDji— Faith D'Isa @ WandaVision 2021 📺✨ (@FaithNoMoar) February 11, 2021I may not play video games (at least I haven’t since I finally beat Legend of Zelda when I was, like, 10...) but give me #BellaRamsey in ANYTHING and I am IN!!#TheLastOfUs #HBO #TheNorthRemembers pic.twitter.com/byDZV0iGEv— Rachel Cushing (@RachelJCushing) February 11, 2021Bella Ramsey is officially Ellie in TLOU and I approve of this casting. pic.twitter.com/swgvUwEBnx— Ollie Drennan (@OllieDreamer) February 11, 2021More Bella Ramsey is a good thing 💫 pic.twitter.com/oTmHp5HExZ— Nerdist (@nerdist) February 11, 2021OMG @HBO is trying to kill me with joy @BellaRamsey is the best! 💜 https://t.co/aJFHrRXLel— VersalhesTodd (@MrMargini) February 11, 2021BELLA RAMSEY AS ELLIE IS PERFECT CASTING I NEED A MINUTE pic.twitter.com/SBGBbOKXPf— daisy (@mynameisaflower) February 11, 2021Holy shit!!!!!!!Bring those clickers on! pic.twitter.com/Fssjpmu1cn— Aηтнσηу Lєωιѕ‽ 🖖🏻🎙 (@anthonyslewis) February 11, 2021So happy for her 💕 pic.twitter.com/ABMNHXFzm7— Nirat (@NiratAnop) February 11, 2021Australian personality Alanah Pearce also clapped back at a few users who claimed that Bella Ramsey does not resemble Ellie:I’m surprised by how upset people are that she “doesn’t look like Ellie”. An appearance match for a young, experienced actor who can hold their own in a show as dramatic as I imagine TLOU will be seems near impossible. If they like her performance, isn’t that what matters? pic.twitter.com/xiwt4vvIBb— Alanah Pearce (@Charalanahzard) February 11, 2021🤦🏻‍♀️ Ofc she doesn't, she isn't real after all. The only person who's got her facial features is Ashley Johnson.— Airu⁷ | BE (@airu_seok) February 11, 2021Bella 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:Now this pic.twitter.com/n2jzdsS9yV— Dalek Brittney |Jodie Stan Snowflake ❄😁🌈 (@DalekBrittney) February 11, 2021Secondly, just look at the guy everything screams Joel when you compare both, same built, height, face, etc., with a really good Voice iykwim 😉 2/3 pic.twitter.com/9we5Oo7o57— Naman (@Imneganyouprick) February 11, 2021Bella 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