Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) was supposed to play Ellie in The Last of Us.

With the premiere The last of us Details continue to emerge about how Sony planned to adapt the popular video game for the PlayStation. The original idea, in fact, was to make a movie, not a TV series.. The project was so advanced that those in charge of production were already looking for the lead actors and several names were on the table.

In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Neil Druckmann, showrunner for the series and one of the inspirations for the video game, said there were “dozens and dozens” of candidates for the role of Joel and Ellie. However, in the case of the minor, there was one name that stood out above the rest: Maisie Williams. Yes, the actress who gave birth to Arya Stark in Game of Thrones could have been Ellie in the canceled movie The last of us.

The producers wanted Ellie to be played by a tough yet vulnerable actress; that, despite his young age, he could show an aggressive attitude. Who is better than Maisie Williams?

The British actress shone as Arya Stark from start to finish. Although at first he stood for innocence, over time he became a resilient, courageous character, and in later episodes he was feared. In fact, Arya was the one who killed the Night King, the greatest threat to the kingdoms of Westeros. Therefore, it is not surprising that she is considered Ellie in the movies. The last of us.

Now the production ran into an unstoppable problem: Maisie Williams grew up, making it difficult to adapt it to Ellie’s age. In the first game of The last of us, which is the narrative basis of the series, and at the time of filming Ellie is only 14 years old. Consequently, they were forced to write off Williams.

We already know the rest of the story. Sony cancels feature film and chose to team up with HBO, distinguished by the quality of their production, to create a series. Despite the change in course of the project, the mission to find an actress who met these characteristics remained in place.

In the end, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin settled on Bella Ramseywhich, oddly enough, also captivated the public Game of Thrones for her performance as Lyanna Mormont. To be honest, his choice turned out to be very successful.

As for the movie The last of usThere are several reasons that led to its cancellation. Basically, did not meet the standards which required a franchise. It was more of an adventure type resident Evil or World War Z instead of inheriting the serious and intense tone of the video game.

In addition, they determined that to tell about the events of the first part, which lasts almost 15 hours, in one full-length film is an impossible task. Thus, the episodic format became a lifeline. remember, that The last of us the next one opens January 15 exclusively on HBO Max.