Neil Druckmann says he wouldn’t consider replacing Bella Ramsey on The Last of Us unless she wanted to leave
Warning: This article contains very small spoilers for The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II.
Season 1 of the hit HBO series The Last of Us has officially ended, which means it’s time to turn the page on Season 2.
The hit HBO series has been renewed for a second season It will adapt the story of the popular Naughty Dog game The Last of Us Part II. As the players of the game know, The Last of Us Part II events take place 5 years after Part I for some discussions The Internet questioned whether the series would cast an actress other than Bella Ramsey for the character of Ellie due to the time jump.
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the season’s finale, Naughty Dog executive producer and co-president Neil Druckmann put an end to those discussions, saying that he and series general supervisor Craig Maisen want to make a second season with Ramsay.
“When we made the game, I felt unbelievably lucky,” Druckmann said. “It was unbelievably lucky that we found Ashley Johnson. I can’t imagine anyone else having that version of Ellie. Then somehow we got the same luck again with Bella.”
He added, “We’re very lucky to have Bella and the things you’ve seen all this season. The only reason we would ever choose an actress other than Bella is if she said, ‘I don’t want to work with you anymore.’ And even then, I’m not sure we’d give her that.” Maybe we’ll force her to come back for the second season.”
Meisen Druckmann shared his enthusiasm for Bella, also noting, “[بيلا] She’s 19 now, which, by the way, is Ellie’s age in The Last of Us Part 2.”
The structure and story of Season 2 is still a bit of a mystery at the moment. Maizen previously said that Part II “needs more than one TV season, for sure,” meaning Part 2 could be divided into at least two seasons. Additionally, the non-linear timeline of Part II’s storyline can be presented in multiple ways.
As he did in Season 1 by repeatedly presenting different flashback footage of the game, Maizen sets similar expectations for Season 2, saying there are some moments that could be radically different from what players experienced in The Last of Us Part II.
As Maizen said, “It will be [الموسم الثاني] As different as this season was. Sometimes it will be radically different, and sometimes [لن يكون] A little different at all, but it will be different. It will be something on its own. It won’t be quite like the game. It’s going to be what Neil and I want to make, but we’re making it with Bella.”