The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann has revealed that Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams and Booksmart's Kaitlyn Dever were both considered for the role of Ellie in the canceled movie adaptation.

　　Ahead of the premiere of HBO's The Last of Us, showrunner Craig Mazin and co-writer, director, and executive producer Neil Druckmann both sat with The Hollywood Reporter to talk about the upcoming series.

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　　On the topic of finding the right person to play 14-year-old Ellie, Druckmann said that it had always been an important role to fill and that they saw "dozens and dozens" of candidates. The director said that the person needed to appear "tough and vulnerable and wise beyond [their] years and also have a potential for violence."

　　Druckmann revealed that Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams, best known for playing Arya Stark, was considered for the role early on for the movie adaptation that never saw the light of day. Kaitlyn Dever, star of Olivia Wilde's Booksmart, even did a table read for the role. However, Druckmann explained that both actors were too old to be considered to play Ellie by the time HBO picked up the series.

　　Druckmann and Mazin finally agreed on Bella Ramsey, with the director saying that "Bella felt so real... It was like Ellie realized in live action. It didn’t feel like watching an actor."

　　HBO's The Last of Us premieres on January 15.

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