Could Mahershala Ali play Joel in HBO’s upcoming TV series adaptation of the hit video gameThe Last of Us? That could very well be the case according to a new report from The Illuminerdi. Rumor has it that the Oscar-winning actor has been offered the lead role of Joel, the hardened survivor who serves as the playable character in the video game. Per the report, Ali has yet to sign on. HBO has not yet officially commented on the rumors.
Originally released in 2013,The Last of Uswas developed by Naughty Dog for the Sony PlayStation 3 console. The game isset in a post-apocalyptic United Statesyears after a zombie-like virus has ravaged the world. Players take control of Joel, a smuggler hired to escort a teenage girl named Ellie across the country for reasons that are made clear as the story progresses. In addition to flesh-hungry creatures, Joel and Ellie must also battle murderous raiders to survive.
Last year, it was announced that a television adaptation ofThe Last of Uswas in the works at HBO. Alongsidegame writer Neil Druckmann,Chernobylcreator Craig Mazin was tapped to help write and executive produce the series. Joining the project as executive producers are Carolyn Strauss, Naughty Dog president Evan Wells, PlayStation Productions' Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan, and director Johan Renck. Kantemir Balagov is also set to direct the pilot episode.
The TV was given the green light months ago, but no casting decisions have yet been officially announced byHBO. Fans have since been speculating over the different possibilities as to who could play Joel as well as Ellie.Game of Thronesstar Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was one popular name that came up a lot as a good candidate for Joel, though there’s no indication he was ever in consideration for the part. Meanwhile, the digital artist BossLogic cast Chris Evans as Joel in a piece of fan art with Mckenna Grace as Ellie.
An accomplished actor,Mahershala Aliwon the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his roles in bothMoonlightandGreen Book. On the small screen, he has also been nominated at the Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on the showsHouse of Cards,True Detective, andRamy. He is also remembered for his recurring roles on other series likeThe 4400,Luke Cage, andRace for the White House.
Ali may not end up playing Joel inThe Last of Us, but the actor does have another major role already lined up. He’ll be making his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a newBlademovie, taking over the role played by Wesley Snipes in the previous movie trilogy. CalledBlade, the Vampire Slayer, the new movie will be written byWatchmenwriter Stacy Osei-Kuffour. A release date hasn’t yet been set for the movie.
In the meantime, Ali’s next role can be seen next month inInvincible, Amazon’s animated superhero drama series based on Robert Kirkman’s comic book of the same name. Ali will play the superhero Titan as part of an ensemble cast that also includes Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons, Mark Hamill, Sandra Oh, Seth Rogen, Zazie Beetz, Jon Hamm, and Clancy Brown.Invinciblewill be released on Amazon Prime Video on August 20, 2025. This information comes to us fromThe Illuminerdi.
