We only have a few more days to wait before HBO’s The Last of Us. We’ll get Ellie and Joel, played by Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, respectively, on our screens in a new way. But if you just can’t hold out any longer, now you can go ahead and sub the Ramsey’s likeness into the video game. This fan-made mod to Naughty Dog’s popular The Last of Us Part II, which we already loved, shows actor Bella Ramsey as Ellie. It may not be a perfect update, but as the video below shows, it’s still a fun act of fan service. Plus, it means you can see your favorite moments even if they don’t end up appearing in the show. There’s no word yet on whether the fan is working on a mod to add Pedro Pascal to the video games, but we’d love to see it.
The user who created the model, Vontadeh, shared some insights on the modeling in the video’s YouTube comments. They weren’t able to adjust to all of the character’s facial expressions, so there’s a slight aspect of uncanny valley. It’s still a cool concept, though. The mod, which we learned about from GameSpot, dropped just a week in advance of the much-anticipated show.
The HBO Max series The Last of Us premieres January 15, 2023. Check out everything we know about the series to get prepped for the fungus zombie post-apocalyptic world. There’s also a tabletop version of the game coming later in 2023.
The original Last of Us video games are definitely worth checking out. Even if you’re not great at playing the games, as Pascal himself admitted to in an interview, the storytelling is amazing. Thankfully, the game’s creator is working on the TV version of The Last of Us.
Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth.