Alien Romulus star hailed as “better pick for Ellie” in The Last of Us

Fans coming out of Alien: Romulus have one surprise takeaway for the movie’s star: they think she would have been a perfect pick to play Ellie in The Last of Us.

At this stage in her career, Cailee Spaeny is best known for her work in Priscilla and Civil War, but that may change now. She’s the breakout star of Alien: Romulus, playing Rain, an orphan on a mining colony who finds herself on an abandoned spaceship infested with Xenomorphs.

Fans who have caught early previews are praising her performance in Romulus, with many likening her to the older and grittier Ellie from The Last of Us Part II. Many are going so far as to declare Spaeny would be a better pick for the role than the current actor, Bella Ramsey.

“Cailee Spaeny in Alien Romulus was so TLOU2 Ellie coded that’s all I could thing about,” one fan said.

“I love Bella Ramsey in the role but after Alien wow, Cailee Spaeny would have been a great great Ellie,” another added.

“Alien: Romulus   was such a pleasant surprise, like a love letter to the franchise with a mastery of tension and fantastic score,” said one fan. “However my main take away was just how much Cailee Spaeny resembles Ellie from The Last Of Us, it’s distracting.”

Of course, there are just as many that continue to be offensive about the The Last of Us actor, who has been under fire since they were cast as Ellie in Season 1. Ramsey has been the subject of several bullying and abuse campaigns, though they say they are “unbothered” by the incidents.

Even without the The Last of Us comparison, Spaeny is a stand-out in Romulus and is singled out in several reviews for her performance. Entertainment Weekly called her “the finest weapon in [Romulus’] arsenal,” while THR called her “a compelling lead, vulnerable and ruled by her emotions to a large extent.”

Spaeny will next be seen in Wake Up Dead Man, the latest installment in Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig’s Knives Out franchise. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for more The Last of Us, we’ve got everything you need to know about Season 2.

We’ve also got everything you need to know about Alien: Romulus, including where it lands on the Alien timeline, why the film got an R rating, and how Romulus connects to Prometheus.