The rumor mill was wrong: HBO have confirmed that Pedro Pascal is not done playing Joel in The Last of Us.
When the news hit that Pedro Pascal had already wrapped filming as Joel for The Last of Us Season 2, the dread set in for fans. We also reported on the matter.
Turns out: false alarm. HBO came forward and clarified that the rumors are "not accurate" to IGN. But how could the rumors even pick up that much steam?
Be aware of spoilers below!
Pedro Pascal Is Not Done As Joel In The Last of Us
The Last of Us Season 2 news in the link https://t.co/Ec3XgaxnMR
— Daniel Richtman (@DanielRPK) March 25, 2024
The known (and mostly reliable) leaker Daniel Richtman claimed on his Patreon that Pedro Pascal had already wrapped filming as Joel in HBO's The Last of Us adaptation. Filming for the second season was supposed to start in February, so fans were upset over the fact that it took him only about a month to get his scenes done – as one of the show's leads, being done within a few weeks didn't exactly spark hope.
Those who have played the games sadly knew what such a short time on set might mean. Joel's fate after the events of the first game/season aren't exactly rosy. At the beginning of the second game things go downhill for him and, thereafter, he only appears in flashbacks.
After the rumors picked up steam and spread like wildfire, HBO clarified that they were not true. While that doesn't mean he gets to live happily ever after in the live-action adaptation, it could – at the very least – mean that we'll get to see a number of gut-punching scenes with Pedro Pascal as Joel.