The Last of Us TV series casts Nico Parker as Joel's daughter Sarah

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Parker joins Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, and Gabriel Luna in HBO's adaptation

The Last of Us
(Image credit: Naughty Dog)

The Last of Us TV series has cast Nico Parker as Joel Miller's daughter Sarah, reports Deadline.

Parker is a young actor with only a couple of credits across TV and film, but you'll recognize her for her breakthrough role as Milly Farrier in Tim Burton's 2019 re-imagining of Dumbo. You might've also seen her in the 2020 HBO series The Third Day, in which she played Ellie (not that Ellie) in three episodes.

Though her story tragically ends near the beginning of the game, Sarah Miller is a key character whose death largely shapes the trajectory of Joel's character arc, from the grizzled and cynical man he was just after his loss to the warm, artistic soul he ultimately becomes in the company of his surrogate daughter Ellie. 

The opening cinematic of The Last of Us is probably the most emotionally impactful scene I've seen in a video game, and I am entirely unprepared to witness it in live-action. Though the game's director (and HBO series producer) Neil Druckmann said back in April that the show will "reinterpret" some parts of the game, Sarah's death is integral to both Joel and Ellie's character development as well as the duo's relationship dynamic, so it's unlikely she'll survive for long.

"It's a different creative group than the one that made the games," Druckmann explained. "[Co-writer] Craig [Mazin] and the other actors, and even some of the producers, are bringing some of their own sensibilities." He also added that "the structure of The Last of Us, the underpinnings" are still in-tact, even as the creative team behind the series is "telling slightly different stories."

Parker joins The Last of Us TV series cast alongside a duo of Game of Thrones alumni, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, as series leads Joel and Ellie, respectively. The cast also includes Gabriel Luna (Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Matador, Wicked City) as Joel's brother Tommy and Merle Dandridge (Jesus Christ Superstar, Spamalot, Rent) as Joel accomplice Marlene. 

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.