Jensen Ackles Could've Played Joel In HBO's The Last Of Us
Supernatural and The Boys star Jensen Ackles admits he 'pushed hard' to play Joel Miller in HBO's live-action version of The Last of Us.
21st Dec 2022 17:31
Images via Amazon | HBO
Jensen Ackles Could've Played Joel In HBO's The Last Of Us
Supernatural and The Boys star Jensen Ackles admits he 'pushed hard' to play Joel Miller in HBO's live-action version of The Last of Us.
21st Dec 2022 17:31
Images via Amazon | HBO
Turning many people's favourite video game into a live-action outing is no easy feat, and as the likes of Resident Evil and Doom have shown us (multiple times), it's a formula Tinsel Town is still ironing out. At least it looks like HBO's The Last of Us can buck the trend.
By now, we're sure you've heard all about Craig Mazin's The Last of Us series, which stars Game of Thrones alumni Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal. However, in some alternate multiverse, there could've been another big name playing Joel Miller.
Was Jensen Ackles Nearly In The Last Of Us?
Before Pascal landed his role as the gruff but fatherly role, anyone and everyone's names were thrown around. From fellow Thrones-er Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman, it was always going to be one of Hollywood's hottest tickets.
Now, Supernatural's Jensen Ackles claims he "pushed hard" for the role of Joel - although he was ultimately unsuccessful. Speaking at a recent Supernatural convention (via @TheLastofUsTV), Ackles said, "I was really kind of pushing hard, but I don't think I was really in the mix or really had a shot at it."
Even though he didn't get any closer than The Last of Us being his dream role, Ackles dropped the bombshell that he's got something in the works: "I am about to head up to LA to shoot a whole day for a new game that's coming out as a character... I can't say what it is just yet, but you'll find out soon enough."
With continued rumours Naughty Dog's next game is The Last of Us Part 3, wouldn't be wild if Ackles had landed a part in that? HBO's show will hopefully span a multi-season arc, and if this mythical casting were true, we could see Ackles play his character in live-action.
Will The Last Of Us Get A Second Season?
It's too early to call, but with Chernobyl's Mazin at the helm - and Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann serving as Executive Producer - HBO's The Last of Us is (hopefully) too big to fail. From what we've seen so far, it looks like a faithful retelling of the 2013 game but with a fleshed-out story.
Clips have already shown The Last of Us will adapt its beloved Left Behind DLC with Euphoria's Storm Reid as Riley, while the casting of Yellowjackets' Melanie Lynskey as a new character confirms it won't be a carbon copy of the game.
HBO has produced some great shows over the years, and even though we've recently said goodbye to Westworld, we imagine The Last of Us will be heading to a second-season order not long after its debut.
When not filming The Boys as the egotistical Soldier Boy or reprising his Supernatural role as Dean Winchester for The Winchesters, we imagine Ackles will be sitting down and tuning into The Last of Us with the rest of us on January 15.
About The Author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
