Fans and Sony agree that Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams would be a great fit for the role of Ellie in the studio’s planned adaptation of its massively popular video game The Last of Us. She definitely looks the part, but besides that, the young star’s work on the HBO fantasy series has proven that she certainly has the depth and grit that would be required of such a demanding role. Now, Williams has again stoked fans’ fires by stating that her taking on the part of Ellie is “looking good.”
Williams’ most recent comments about The Last of Us came during an IGN interview. Though the actress previously stated that she “would love” to play Ellie, Williams expanded on that, revealing that producer Sam Raimi (Evil Dead) and Naughty Dog writer Neil Druckmann are so committed to giving her the role that they wanted her with them when they were moderating the adaptation’s Comic-Con panel this past summer:
“I was doing so much work for Thrones that I didn’t want to half-arse do it, so I said I’m not going to [moderate]. They said fine, but they’re gonna announce they had talks. So the way it was left is they want me to do it, and I want to do it. But there’s no script, no director, and no anything else. So at this moment, it’s looking like, ‘Yes,’ but it’s still such early days. If they make it in 30 years, they can’t have a 40-year-old Ellie. So at the moment, it’s looking good, and I’d love to do it. Hell yeah.”
Williams makes a good point – if Sony and Screen Gems want her to play Ellie, they’d best get moving on the adaptation. Though Druckmann is currently working on the script, no director has been set, and there’s a lot that needs to be done behind the scenes to animate The Last of Us. Hopefully the studios get moving soon, so that Williams can lock the part of Ellie down.