Pedro Pascal has achieved something that few actors before him have managed to pull off — star in a live-action video game adaptation which actually turns out to be good.
Pascal captured the hearts of gamers and newcomers alike in his role as Joel Miller in HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us from day one — we’re still recovering from the final scene in the premiere episode’s prologue, which fully depicted the day of the outbreak.
Seeing as Pedro Pascal has in fact managed to capture lightning in a bottle, we couldn’t help but get to thinking about other games that The Last of Us and The Mandalorian star could bring his energy to. Admittedly, some of these picks are a little on the silly side, and a bit of fun, but others could genuinely benefit from Pascal’s talents.
So, without further ado, here are seven video game characters that Pedro Pascal could bring to life.
Big Boss – Metal Gear Solid
We realize there are a few holes with this casting but hear us out. Yes, Oscar Isaac has already signed on to play Solid Snake in a Metal Gear Solid film adaptation, and that character is meant to be a clone of Big Boss, so if and when that movie releases, turns out to be a success, and justifies the creation of the prequel, then in staying true to the source material, Oscar Isaac should reprise the role. However, there’s no denying that Pascal can pull off the morally conflicted gun for hire – and we can see him donning the iconic camo gear and eye patch as he treks his way through Tselinoyarsk. Alternatively, if we want to stay as true as possible, we could reunite the real-life pals and get Pascal in as either Revolver Ocelot or Kaz Miller, provided we’re adapting the events of Metal Gear Solid V.
John Marston – Red Dead Redemption
Pascal’s two most prominent roles involve being what is essentially a space cowboy, as well as a tragic father figure who would go to any length to protect his family, so the actor portraying John Marston (during the original Red Dead Redemption, and not the sequel) is a shoe that fits quite easily considering the character’s arc in the events of the first game. He’s brutal when he needs to be but shows his heart when it matters. We can already see ourselves shedding a tear during the epilogue.
John Lugo – Spec Ops: The Line
Concocting Pedro Pascal as Spec Ops: The Line’s John Lugo would involve the actor bringing a healthy dash of the charisma he brought to Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones, the stoicism of Din Djarin in The Mandalorian, and the emotional baggage of Joel in The Last of Us. What we get is a wisecracking soldier who will reluctantly follow sketchy orders but make clear the direction in which his moral compass is facing. Given the heavy subject matter of the game, Pascal is the perfect candidate to portray Lugo on his way to his devastating fate.
Nathan Drake – Uncharted
If Pedro nailed one Naughty Dog franchise, why not another? From the get-go, let’s make it clear that we’re talking about an Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End-age Nathan Drake. Let’s be honest, Yes, Pascal is arguably at his best when portraying brooding, dramatic characters, but he has proven he is also capable of playing charismatic wisecracking type in Game of Thrones. Tom Holland was a fine, if not an average casting choice for the lead in the other enormous Naughty Dog franchise, but we just didn’t find a young Nathan Drake story all that interesting. In any case, if Nathan Fillion is unavailable, get on the phone to Pedro.
Max Payne
Pedro Pascal as a scorned New York cop who goes on the hunt for the people who murdered his family (or whichever part of his saga a studio would adapt) is most certainly something that we could buy. If not his tenure as a cop, then his life as a bodyguard and mercenary are certainly a good fit, considering his typecasting as the protector of important figures.
Alan Wake
A bestselling writer struggling with writer’s block whose wife goes missing, and needs to go toe to toe with all things supernatural to get to the bottom of the mystery? Yes please, let’s get Pedro in there. We can already hear the actor delivering Wake’s voiceovers, and see him shining his torch left and right to keep the evils of the night at bay.
Chris Redfield – Resident Evil
If we wanted to see Pedro Pascal go full John Wick-mode in a zombie-themed franchise with less of a focus on drama, why not plonk him into Resident Evil? He’s a man with brown hair, which pretty much seems to be the only prerequisite required to bring life to one of the series’ most iconic characters. Granted, live-action Resident Evil adaptations have a track record of being average at best, and Pascal doesn’t seem to ever touch B-grade stuff.