Voice actor Troy Baker has said that Josh Brolin would be a “knockout choice” to play Joel in HBO’s forthcoming The Last of Usadaptation.
Baker voiced the character in Naughty Dog’s acclaimed 2013 action-horror game, as well as its recent sequel, The Last of Us Part II.
It was announced earlier this year that the hit PlayStation game was being adapted into a TV series, to be written by Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin. After the news broke, speculation was rife among fans as to who would play the game's beloved characters.
Speaking to Collider, Baker suggested that Avengers: Endgame star Brolin would be a good shout for the role: “I think on its face, literally, Josh Brolin would be a knockout choice, but I don’t know if I would walk away learning something different about Joel.”
He also joked: “I’m in a great position. Because either A) Somebody steps into that role. And [I’ll be] like, ‘Damn, dude, I never thought about that, wow, what an interesting choice.’ Or B) They suck, and people go, ‘Only Troy can play Joel.’ So either way I win.”
Baker is one of the most acclaimed voice actors in gaming and has voiced characters in games such as Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Death Stranding, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Bioshock Infinite.
In the same interview, he confirmed that he was ready to move on from the Last of Us games.
“All I want out of Joel, I have done,” he said. “I have taken Joel as far as I can take it.”
“I did the same in part one. Same in part two. That was my job, was to move that character as far forward as I could. What I’m excited about is finding someone that can give me a completely different side of Joel, and show me how far that character can stretch.”
