{"id":2093209,"date":"2026-08-14T10:03:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T07:03:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2093209"},"modified":"2026-08-14T10:03:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T07:03:39","slug":"matthew-mcconaughey-turned-down-the-last-of-us-tv-show-lead-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2093209","title":{"rendered":"Matthew McConaughey turned down \u2018The Last Of Us\u2019 TV show lead role"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/The-Last-Of-Us-season-2-6.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-2749694\" class=\"post-2749694 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_71 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>News<\/span><span>Gaming News<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_72 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_72\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Matthew McConaughey turned down \u2018The Last Of Us\u2019 TV show lead role<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_73 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_73\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Pedro Pascal ended up playing Joel in the HBO adaptation\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_75 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_75\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Ali Shutler<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-08-14T11:03:39+01:00\">14th August 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_77\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_78  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_80  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span8\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_81 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/The-Last-Of-Us-season-2-6-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"The Last Of Us\" title=\"The Last Of Us season 2-6\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Bella Ramsey (Ellie) and Pedro Pascal (Joel) in &#8216;The Last Of Us&#8217; season two. CREDIT: HBO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_83 article-content-row vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Matthew McConaughey has revealed that he was approached about starring in HBO\u2019s <i>The Last Of Us<\/i> TV adaptation \u2013 but turned the role down.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: \u2018Silent Hill\u2019s unsettling soundtrack was always meant to give you nightmares<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Premiering in 2023, HBO\u2019s critically acclaimed adaptation of beloved gaming franchise <i>The Last Of Us<\/i> stars Pedro Pascal as gruff smuggler Joel and Bella Ramsey as his adopted daughter Ellie as they make their way across the apocalypse-ravaged United States. The first season retold the story of the original game, with the second taking inspiration from <i>The Last Of Us Part 2<\/i>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>In a new interview on the <i>Happy Sad Confused <\/i>podcast, McConaughey revealed that <i>The Last Of Us<\/i> showrunner Craig Mazin brought the project to him while it was still early in development but he turned it down.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Matthew McConaughey on THE RIVALS OF AMZIAH KING, INTERSTELLAR, TITANIC audition, TIPTOES, &amp; more!\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/peXOgVAUm40?start=2364&amp;feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t really acting at that point. That was when I was doing more writing and looking at leadership roles. [Craig Mazin] was really excited. <i>The Last of Us<\/i> was really good but it wasn\u2019t for me at the time. I don\u2019t know what would\u2019ve been for me\u2026,\u201d explained McConaughey, with successful TV shows usually taking up years of someone\u2019s career. \u201cDo I want that to be the case?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Back in 2023, Mazin gave his side of the story. \u201cI did talk to Matthew [about playing Joel]. I can\u2019t say it was serious. It was more like, \u2018Hey, here\u2019s something we can talk about.\u2019 He is an amazing actor and I\u2019m sure it would\u2019ve been great. But it would\u2019ve been different, and I like the one that we made [with Pedro Pascal].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The third season of <i>The Last Of Us<\/i> is set to launch next year, but it\u2019s not known if any more will follow. Mazin previously said that four seasons \u201cseemed like a good number\u201d. After the end of season two, he claimed there was \u201cno way to complete this narrative\u201d with just one more season but HBO bosses have suggested that the story will need to be wrapped up with a third and final season.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>Meanwhile game creator Neil Druckmann has said he would \u201ctotally jump\u201d at making <i>The Last Of Us Part Three<\/i> if the story was strong enough. \u201cIt\u2019s important to me that everything is high quality. I don\u2019t just want to make a lot of it, I want to be very thoughtful about everything we make.\u201d Last September, Druckmann teased \u201cmore\u201d updates when \u201cthe time is right\u201d and earlier this year, he got fans\u2019 hopes up by talking about the \u201croad ahead\u201d for the franchise but so far, nothing has been announced.<\/p>\n<p>In other news, <i>Pok\u00e9mon<\/i>\u00a0fans are convinced that more classic games are coming to the\u00a0Nintendo Switch\u00a0later this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Matthew McConaughey<\/li>\n<li>The Last of Us<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_89 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span4 td-is-sticky\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-sidebar  tdi_92 td_block_template_2\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_93 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_93\">\n<div class=\"td-block-title-wrap\">\n<h4 class=\"td-block-title\"><span class=\"td-pulldown-size\">TRENDING<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_93\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Phoebe Bridgers \u2013 \u2018Lost Weekend\u2019 review: indie\u2019s poet laureate returns with a staggering, strange and stirring opus<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Este Haim on scoring Bella Ramsey film \u2018Sunny Dancer\u2019 and Haim\u2019s New York-inspired fifth album<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">This Is Lorelei was only meant to be a side project. 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The first season retold the story of the original game, with the second taking inspiration from <i>The Last Of Us Part 2<\/i>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>In a new interview on the <i>Happy Sad Confused <\/i>podcast, McConaughey revealed that <i>The Last Of Us<\/i> showrunner Craig Mazin brought the project to him while it was still early in development but he turned it down.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Matthew McConaughey on THE RIVALS OF AMZIAH KING, INTERSTELLAR, TITANIC audition, TIPTOES, &amp; more!\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/peXOgVAUm40?start=2364&amp;feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>\u201cI wasn\u2019t really acting at that point. That was when I was doing more writing and looking at leadership roles. [Craig Mazin] was really excited. <i>The Last of Us<\/i> was really good but it wasn\u2019t for me at the time. I don\u2019t know what would\u2019ve been for me\u2026,\u201d explained McConaughey, with successful TV shows usually taking up years of someone\u2019s career. \u201cDo I want that to be the case?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Back in 2023, Mazin gave his side of the story. \u201cI did talk to Matthew [about playing Joel]. I can\u2019t say it was serious. It was more like, \u2018Hey, here\u2019s something we can talk about.\u2019 He is an amazing actor and I\u2019m sure it would\u2019ve been great. But it would\u2019ve been different, and I like the one that we made [with Pedro Pascal].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The third season of <i>The Last Of Us<\/i> is set to launch next year, but it\u2019s not known if any more will follow. Mazin previously said that four seasons \u201cseemed like a good number\u201d. After the end of season two, he claimed there was \u201cno way to complete this narrative\u201d with just one more season but HBO bosses have suggested that the story will need to be wrapped up with a third and final season.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>Meanwhile game creator Neil Druckmann has said he would \u201ctotally jump\u201d at making <i>The Last Of Us Part Three<\/i> if the story was strong enough. \u201cIt\u2019s important to me that everything is high quality. I don\u2019t just want to make a lot of it, I want to be very thoughtful about everything we make.\u201d Last September, Druckmann teased \u201cmore\u201d updates when \u201cthe time is right\u201d and earlier this year, he got fans\u2019 hopes up by talking about the \u201croad ahead\u201d for the franchise but so far, nothing has been announced.<\/p>\n<p>In other news, <i>Pok\u00e9mon<\/i>\u00a0fans are convinced that more classic games are coming to the\u00a0Nintendo Switch\u00a0later this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/gaming-news\/matthew-mcconaughey-the-last-of-us-tv-show-joel-pedro-pascal-3962632&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/The-Last-Of-Us-season-2-6.jpg&#8221;] NewsGaming News Matthew McConaughey turned down \u2018The Last Of Us\u2019 TV show lead role Pedro Pascal ended up playing Joel in the HBO adaptation By Ali Shutler 14th August 2026 Bella Ramsey (Ellie) and Pedro Pascal (Joel) in &#8216;The Last Of Us&#8217; season two. CREDIT: HBO Matthew McConaughey has revealed that he [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2093209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2093209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2093209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2093209\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2093209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2093209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2093209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}