I was totally behind the whole Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) as Ellie. But then I started watching Girl Meets world with my girlfriend and after all the episodes I gotta tell ya, Sabrina Carpenter needs to play Ellie. She plays Maya on the show and she is perfect. She has the look, and the acting skills to get it done. She is Ellie. What do you think Duders? Look her up

I don't know man, it's pretty difficult for disney actors / actress to make the jump from the squeaky clean image to something with some pretty intense gore and strong subject material like The Last of Us. I saw some of the show and while she displays the rebel side of Ellie's personality not sure what to make of her as the character.

I actually don't see Maisie Williams as Ellie at all. Maybe makup will go a long way but she just seems like a completely different person. I mean it really should be Ellen Page although obviously it won't be.

I'm speaking from a place of ignorance, but I don't see how any acting skill displayed in Girl Meets World could indicate that she would be a better fit for the role than someone like Maisie Williams. Williams has dealt with some extremely dark subject matter in Game of Thrones, and many of the themes of that show translate directly to those found in the equally dark The Last of Us. Hypothetically, she could be the perfect Ellie, but that's not the same thing as being the best candidate for the role.

Of course, I think making this movie at all is kind of ridiculous, so what's my opinion worth, really?

Maisie seems way to sweet to be Ellie, but hey give her a chance.

Even her Arya, who is slowly becoming a psycho killer, is adorable.

I'd like Ellie and Joel to be played by complete nobodies, who then go on to not star in anything else. But that is mostly just personal preference, I kinda dislike seeing the same people in different movies sometimes. Like I enjoy Cloverfield a lot because none of them are starring in a movie or show every single year getting over exposed, it makes the movie that much more believable.

However, I kinda also wish Troy Baker would just play Joel. He looks almost like a blonde version, and obviously he has the voice. Obviously Ashley Johnson doesn't look 14.

Chloe Grace Moretz or bust.

I don't know. I think Maisie Williams could do a good job. But she would need a strong Joel /lead to carry her through. She would bring interest due to being a major GoT actress. Plus the experience of working on that show and with those actors would help.

Let's face it, the film has to be its own thing. It needs to tell The Last of Us story as if the game doesn't exist. Otherwise they might as well make a CGI sequel PR prequel. And let's face it Ellie essentially is Ellen Page. Which if it was going to be a blockbuster they would have already cast her.

Anyone else think Gerard Butler for Joel? Certainly has the look and acting talent. It could go ether way in terms of him carrying the movie but he certainly has the talent.

Arya and Ellie is the same character in two different settings and GoT is bigger budget than The last of us so she will do more than fine as Ellie.

I'm not sure Ellen Page would even want to do it given how she feels about Sony at the moment.

Obviously she looks most like Ellen Page but there's no way she would do it. First she was angry with Last of Us when it was first announced because she thought they were apeing her image. Then Naughty Dog changed Ellie's character design. After that the whole Beyond controversy happened...I would think she hates Sony/Video games at this point.

Also, don't forget Ellie is supposed to be 14, I think Ellen would be insulted at the fact she's being chosen to play a 14 year old.

For Joel I think the best choice is definitely Josh Brolin. He's a great actor and he has the look for sure.

@humanity said:

People keep saying this and they don't know how wrong they are.

@csl316: It never occurred to me but I could actually see that. She looks more like Ellie than Ellen Page does, and is probably more appropriate for that kind of acting job. Old enough and experienced enough to pull off the maturity, and still young enough to play a 14 year old, maybe.

@jazz_bcaz: Ellie is loosely based on Ellen Page in terms of looks and her voice is similar to hers so I think it's a pretty good fit. I also think Ellen Page is a pretty good actress with decent range. Time will tell of course. I've been very wrong about some roles in the past, but I just think Maisie is too young for this - or maybe thats the whole point.

I think Hugh Jackman and Ellen Page should really be the choices here...

Ellen Page is way too old and I also disagree with this sentiment.

@jazz_bcaz: you're obviously entitled to your own opinion

When this comes up, I usually just post these two photos:

Sabrina is in Horns which will be releasing soon and has to do with rape and murder so I don't think subject matter is off limits for her

Clive Owen as Joel..... hmmmm

Is hard for me to even care for this movie because I love the game so much. That said I have no idea who I want to play Ellen or Joel for that matter. It might be because they are so well-realized in the game and I can't see why this needs to be a movie.

I think Maisie Williams is great in GoT but I don't see her as Ellie. In the same way I don't see any of the other suggestions like Ellen Page or Chloë Grace Moretz as Ellie at all.

The only suggestion for Joel that I have really liked is Jeffrey Dean Morgan. But they are never going to pick Morgan cause he is not famous enough. A little off-topic but I don't get why Morgan hasn't gotten the big breakthrough yet as a world star yet. He is way too talented to not get recognized on the same level as Downey Jr. for example. I also think that Josh Brolin is a boring choice. Brolin is an awesome actor, but he already played a role slightly similiar to Joel. It's also no secret that No Country For Old Men was a bit of a inspiration for the game. But I think he would be too obvious of a choice and I would like to see them take more of a chance and hire someone less famous but equally talented.

I think the problem for me with a lot of these suggestions are that people focus too much on how much they look like the characters and not necessarily on their type of personality. That's why they won't hire Ellen Page. I will guarantee that with 100% certainty. She is way too old for the part and she just doesn't fit Ellies personality.

Ellen Page is like 30 years old.