Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

HBO's The Last of Us TV adaptation casts Parks and Recreation's Nick Offerman as Bill

Will take over the role from Con O'Neill.

Nick Offerman - perhaps best known for his portrayal of Park and Recreation's staunchly libertarian department director Ron Swanson - has been cast as Bill in HBO's upcoming live-action TV adaptation of The Last of Us.

That's according to Variety, which reports Offerman will be taking over the role from Con O'Neill - who was forced to step away from the show as a result of a scheduling conflict - and will appear alongside Murray Bartlett as Frank.

In The Last of Us' original video game form, Frank had already left town by the time Bill encounters Joel and Ellie. However, Variety reports the pair will still be together, as two "post-pandemic survivalists living alone in their own isolated town", as the show gets underway.

Offerman will be joining a cast that includes Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) as Joel and Bella Ramsey - who memorably played Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones - as Ellie. Naughty Dog shared a first in-costume look at the two protagonists in an official set photo back in September, and additional, albeit unofficial, set shots have surfaced since.

Cover image for YouTube videoLet's Play The Last of Us - Late to the Party
Let's Play The Last of Us - Late to the Party.

Other confirmed cast members include Jeffrey Pierce (who previously played Joel's brother Tommy in the Last of Us video games) as Perry, a rebel in a quarantine zone, while Gabriel Luna is set to portray Tommy. Nico Parker has been cast as Joel's daughter Sarah, and Merle Dandridge reprises her video game role of Marlene, the leader of the Fireflies resistance.

Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann is co-writing the HBO series - which he previously confirmed will "deviate greatly" from the game at times - alongside Chernobyl's Craig Mazin and is serving as director on some episodes.

Bill as he appears in the original The Last of Us.

Druckmann's time on set in Alberta, Canada, came to an end November, which he revealed in a tweet thanking "the best TV crew in the world" for "your incredible work, your passion, and for making me feel so welcome!". However, filming on the series - which reportedly "well exceeds the eight-figure per episode mark" - was previously confirmed to be ongoing for 12 months, meaning it should wrap in July next year.

There's still no word on when The Last of Us' first ten-episode season will air, but hopefully it won't be too long before HBO is ready to share more.