HBO is making a Last of Us TV show, but so far, there is no word on casting for the lead roles of Joel and Ellie. Actor Troy Baker, who plays Joel in the video games, has now weighed in with his thoughts on who might be a good choice to step into Joel’s shoes.
Speaking to Collider, Baker said veteran actor Josh Brolin is a “knockout choice” for the role–but he’s not sure if Brolin would necessarily be the right person for the part.
“I think on its face, literally, Josh Brolin would be a knockout choice, but I don’t know if I would walk away learning something different about Joel,” Baker said.
Baker went on to say that he had a drunken evening with Brolin some time ago where he mentioned to Brolin that he would be “honored” if Brolin would consider playing Joel. “I was like, ‘If you ever get the call for a character named Joel, I would be honored and I think you would be enriched to play that character,'” Baker recalled.
No matter who ends up being cast as Joel in the HBO show, Baker said he comes out a winner.
“Either A) Somebody steps into that role. And [I’ll be] like, ‘Damn, dude, I never thought about that, wow, what an interesting choice.’ Or B) They suck, and people go, ‘Only Troy can play Joel,'” Baker said. “So either way I win.”
The Last of Us TV show at HBO is coming from writer-director of the games, Neil Druckmann, and Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin.
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