The Last of Us fans mock up Pedro Pascal as Joel

Pedro Pascal might've only just been cast in The Last of Us on HBO, but talented artists have already been mocking up the actor dressed up as lead Joel.

Over on The Last of Us subreddit, there's a fair few artist creations of The Mandalorian actor made to look the part of Joel, the leading character in both Naughty Dog's 2013 game and The Last of Us HBO series. There's the stunning piece just below, for example, where an artist has applied some rough scarring to Pascal's weathered face to give him more of a survivor's look.

You can see another example in the post just below on The Last of Us subreddit. As with the previous post, the dashing actor looks a lot rougher here, which is sort of what you'd expect after 20-odd years of surviving a zombie apocalypse and struggling to stay alive.

Stunning artwork or not, Pascal is a fantastic choice for the role of Joel in HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us. In case you missed it last week, Game of Thrones alumni Bella Ramsey was cast in the role of Ellie, shortly before Pascal was revealed to be taking the role of Joel. 

The two will be taking on a harrowing journey across America in HBO's adaptation. Recently, showrunner Craig Mazin extended his deal with HBO by three years, indicating that the adaptation could be at least a few years away from actually airing. Additionally, Mazin has spoken about how the adaptation will "enhance" the story of the 2013 game, while Troy Baker, the actor behind Joel in Naughty Dog's two games, has thrown his support behind both Pascal and Ramsey's castings in the adaptation. In short, there's a whole lot of anticipation for The Last of Us on HBO, with so many talented creatives putting their expertise behind the show.

For excellent entertainment to keep you occupied from now until HBO's adaptation finally airs, head over to our best Netflix shows guide for a comprehensive list.