See the Cast of ‘The Last of Us’ & Their Video Game Counterparts

The Last of Us HBO Video Game
HBO, Naughty Dog

Some of the biggest names in television are behind The Last of Us, HBO’s new post-apocalyptic drama series.

Even with such talent, however, the TV show will have a hard act to follow when it premieres on January 15. It’s based on the 2013 video game of the same name, which sold more than three million copies in three weeks and earned a WGA Award, an Annie Award, and multiple SXSW Gaming Awards.

Set 20 years after the end of civilization as we know it, HBO’s The Last of Us, like the video game, follows two characters as they battle for survival in a decimated United States.

“Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone,” HBO says. “What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.”

See the cast and their video-game counterparts in the gallery below — including the actor who’s playing the same character in the TV show that she did in the video game.

The Last of Us, Series Premiere, Sunday, January 15, 9/8c, HBO

The Last of Us Pedro Pascal Joel
HBO, Naughty Dog

Pedro Pascal as Joel

The Mandalorian‘s Pedro Pascal plays Joel, “a hardened survivor, tormented by past trauma and failure, who must trek across a pandemic-ravaged America, all the while protecting a girl who represents the last hope of humanity

The Last of Us Bella Ramsey Ellie
HBO, Naughty Dog

Bella Ramsey as Ellie

Game of Thrones‘ Bella Ramsey plays Ellie. “A 14-year-old orphan, who has never known anything but a ravaged planet, struggles to balance her instinct for anger and defiance with her need for connection and belonging— as well as the newfound reality that she may be the key to saving the world

The Last of Us Gabriel Luna Tommy
HBO, Naughty Dog

Gabriel Luna as Tommy

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s Gabriel Luna plays Tommy, Joel’s younger brother, “a former soldier who hasn’t lost his sense of idealism and hope for a better world”

The Last of Us Anna Torv Tess
HBO, Naughty Dog

Anna Torv as Tess

Fringe ‘s Anna Torv plays Tess, “a smuggler and hardened survivor in a post-pandemic world”

The Last of Us Merle Dandridge Marlene
HBO, Naughty Dog

Merle Dandridge as Marlene

Reprising her role from the video game series, Station 19‘s Merle Dandridge plays Marlene, “leader of the Fireflies, a resistance movement struggling for freedom against an oppressive military regime”

The Last of Us Nico Parker Sarah
HBO, Naughty Dog

Nico Parker as Sarah

Dumbo‘s Nico Parker plays Sarah, Joel’s 14-year-old daughter

The Last of Us Storm Reid Riley
HBO, Naughty Dog

Storm Reid as Riley

Storm Reid of Euphoria plays Riley, “an orphaned girl growing up in post-apocalyptic Boston”

The Last of Us Nick Offerman Bill
HBO, Naughty Dog

Nick Offerman as Bill

Parks and Recreation‘s Nick Offerman joins The White LotusMurray Bartlett  as Bill and Frank, “two post-pandemic survivalists living alone in their own isolated town”

The Last of Us Keivonn Woodard Lamar Johnson
HBO, Naughty Dog

Keivonn Woodard as Sam and Lamar Johnson as Henry

Keivonn Woodard of (Fractal) and Your Honor‘s Lamar Johnson play Sam and Henry, “brothers in Kansas City [who are] hiding from a revolutionary movement seeking vengeance”