We have a potentially major update on the planned small screen adaptation of Naughty Dog's best-selling The Last of Us video game here, as HBO reportedly has none other than Mahershala Ali in mind for the role of Joel.
The Illuminerdi reports that the Academy Award-winning Green Book actor has been offered the part, but it's not clear if any negotiations have actually taken place. The role is said to be "Ali’s for the taking" if he wants it, however.
This would certainly be a departure from the original interpretation of the character, but it's difficult to imagine too many fans having an issue with an actor of Ali's calibre boarding the project.
The Last of Us is set 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed and centers on the relationship between Joel, a smuggler in this new world, and Ellie, a teenager who may be key to a cure for a deadly pandemic. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle the 14-year-old girl out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey as they traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and the game's creator Neil Druckmann are writing and executive producing the show. The first season will adapt the events of the original game, but is also expected to include elements of The Last of Us Part II.
The source has been spot on with their casting scoops in the past, so we have no reason to doubt them on this. That said, the trades will likely weigh in if and when Ali (or another actor) accepts the gig.