Bella Ramsey is not being recast for The Last of Us season 2

Bella Ramsey as Ellie in The Last of Us — (Image credit: HBO)

Though Ellie is five years older in The Last of Us Part 2, Bella Ramsey isn't going anywhere.

The second season of the hit HBO show will adapt Part 2 of the video game, which features a slightly older Ellie. The actor is now 19, the same age as Ellie in Part 2.

During a press conference attended by Total Film, co-creator Craig Mazin said: "We know what we're going to do. We know what we're going to do in terms of costume and makeup and hair, but more importantly, we also know the soul and spirit of the actor."

"[Season 2] will be different just as this season was different. Sometimes it will be radically different and sometimes it won't be fairly different at all. It won't be exactly like the game. It will be the show that Neil and I wanna make, and we are making it with Bella," Mazin continued.

"We are extremely lucky to have Bella," co-creator Neil Druckmann added. "The only way we would ever, ever consider recasting Bella is if they said, 'I don't wanna work with you guys anymore.'"

Make sure you're up to date with our The Last of Us release schedule or our breakdown of how many episodes are in The Last of Us. For more from the series, check out our guide to the major Last of Us episode 9 changes from the games and a terrifying look at the Cordyceps fungus.

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ based in New York City. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.