After what felt like forever, HBO finally announced who would play Joel and Ellie in their upcoming series The Last the of Us. It was most definitely a hot topic on who fans wanted to see as Joel with one of the favorites being Game of Thrones actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. But The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal took the lead as Joel alongside Bella Ramsey, who played Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, as Ellie.

As we let the dust settle around this news and also allow ourselves to get excited that The Last of Us show is really finally happening, let's check out this stunning piece of fan art that shows how Pedro Pascal could look when he steps into the shoes of Joel in HBO's The Last of Us.

Andrea White, an artist from Croatia, decided to see what Pascal could look like in an incredible artistic experiment. As you can see from the illustration below, White has taken Joel's peppered beard, as well as his trademark green checked shirt, and then incorporated Pascal's facial features into the art piece. You can also notice that the artist has aged Joel somewhat in this sketch, drawing lines throughout his skin depicting a rugged but very real image of what post-apocalyptic life can do to a person.

 
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A post shared by Andrea C. White (@andy.c.white)

Whether Pascal will sport Joel's scruffy beard is a matter to be seen when the show airs, but I think it would be a shame if, at the very least, something of the Joel we knew and loved wasn't injected into the series due to the number of fans tuning in from the game. Given Bella Ramsey's fiery and strong-willed nature as Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, I'm fairly sure she is up for the job as Ellie and will easily slide into her persona.

To check out many other brilliant portraits and fanart pieces from Andrea, visit her Instagram page where you can browse her creative endeavors until your heart is content without disappointment.

As of now, no release date for HBO's The Last of Us has been set. We could, however, see the long-awaited HBO show crop up at the end of this year or early next year. Either way, it will certainly be one to watch out for and I personally can’t wait.