The Last of Us: Joel Voice Actor Wants Josh Brolin to Star in HBO Series

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Troy Baker, who voices Joel in The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II wants Josh Brolin to star in the upcoming HBO series. Back in March of this year, HBO announced that they would be adapting the highly acclaimed horror survival video game into a live-action TV series. For fans, this was a dream come true. On one hand, it wasn’t quite the same as getting a feature film adaptation, but on the other hand, it’s being adapted by HBO – one of the most trusted and beloved names in television.

The series will follow the storyline of the 2013 game, though there have been rumors that now that The Last of Us Part II has been released, the upcoming TV series will stay open and flexible toward incorporating aspects of The Last of Us sequel's story and characters as well. So far, the series doesn’t have any confirmed cast on board, however it was recently announced that Chernobyl director Johan Renck would be joining Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin in bringing the series to life. Even though the cast may still be up in the air, fans of the multi-award winning game are sure to have more than their fair share of suggestions. However, it’s not just the fans who have their own personal favorite casting choices.

In an interview with Collider, Baker reiterated his belief that he’d like to see Brolin take on the role of the character. In fact, according to Baker, he once encountered Brolin at LAX airport and personally pitched the role to him and explained how influential he was on Joel's character. At the same time, however, Baker also acknowledged that he wants to be somewhat surprised by Joel when the series arrives and that ultimately he wants the role to be cast with someone who can do something completely different than what he’s already done with Joel. Baker explained this by saying, "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.”


Fans of The Last of Us likely won’t have much of a problem agreeing with Baker’s sentiments. Brolin is a great choice to play Joel, but one of the most engaging elements of the game is how well rounded and multi-dimensional its characters are. On the surface, Brolin is a perfect physical match for Joel. But who Joel was before the virus changed the world, for example, is an aspect of the character that hasn’t really been explored. Perhaps it’s a direction that the HBO series could explore, and perhaps it’s also a direction that a different actor might be better suited for.

With the current popularity of The Last of Us II being what it is, the pressure to find just the right characters for The Last of Us TV series will likely be stronger than ever. While there haven't even been any reports on who could be playing Joel, it's worth noting that HBO isn't limited to white actors, meaning casting a person of color could provide a different take on what many currently believe to be a very familiar character.