Bella Ramey has been in the acting game for a few years now, but 2023 has truly been their year, thanks in great part to HBO’s The Last of Us. The young actor played the fan-favorite role of Ellie on the acclaimed video game adaptation and, quite frankly, they gave one of the best performances of the year so far. Fans, as you’d expect, are already eager to see more of Ramsey in the role and, luckily, the series was renewed for a second season. It unfortunately appears that it’s going to be a while before those new episodes are with us, though. Yet on the bright side, Ramsey has a whole other show on the way, which they’ll wrap on before TLoU even resumes production.
Time – a drama series produced by the BBC – has tapped Bella Ramsey as one of the leads of its second season. While specifics on the plot are scarce, Deadline reports that this new batch of episodes will be set to the backdrop of a women’s prison and see Ramsey play the role of Kelsey. In addition, the 19-year-old star will get to perform alongside veteran actress Jodie Whittaker, who’s probably best known to fans for her stint on Doctor Who. Also part of the cast are Downton Abbey alum Siobhan Finneran (who appeared in the show’s first season) and Tamara Lawrance of The Silent Twins. Upon their casting, Ramsey released a statement, and it sounds like they’re excited to get to work:
I’m very happy to be a part of this project, working with an incredible team and following on from a stellar first season. And it’s such an honor to be Kelsey, I’m really excited to experience the world through her for a few months.
Production is reportedly set to kick off in Liverpool and, while a specific start date was not given, the report indicates that filming will begin soon. And based on Bella Ramsey’s statement, the shoot shouldn’t last all that long. This is a solid Last of Us follow-up for them, as it’ll give the performer an opportunity to further flex their dramatic acting muscles. Should the season match the emotional complexity of the characters in Season 1, Ramsey should have a very layered role on their hands, too.
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Created by Jimmy McGovern, Time tells stories involving individuals linked to the United Kingdom’s criminal justice system. The first season saw Game of Thrones alum Sean Bean play an incarcerated man navigating his dangerous and unpredictable new reality in prison all while dealing with guilt stemming from his crime. He eventually meets an upstanding officer (Stephen Graham) who attempts to protect him but must weigh the cost and benefits of doing so. The crime drama received critical acclaim, earning Best Mini-Series and Best Actor (for Bean) at the BAFTA TV Awards.
Bella Ramsey definitely is stepping into a production with a high level of notoriety (though it’s not like they don’t know what that feels like). There’s not a doubt in my mind that the Catherine Called Birdy star will rise to the occasion. After seeing their Emmy-worthy work in The Last of Us and performances in other projects, I’d say they can do just about anything. Also, I think what most excites me about Ramsey’s latest endeavor is the prospect of them rubbing shoulders with Jodie Whittaker, who’s a force in her own right.
As sweet as all of this is though, I’d be lying if I said I’m not still thinking about the future of The Last of Us, which delivered a truly compelling finale. When discussing a possible timeframe, Bella Ramsey said “it'll probably be the end of 2024, early 2025.” That’s a lot of waiting, but it’ll all be worth it if Season 2 is as good as the first. Plus, we’re now incredibly fortunate because we’ll get to see more of Ramsey beforehand.
The first season of Time can be streamed by anyone with a BritBox subscription, and, if you’d like to check out The Last of Us, watch it using an HBO Max subscription. Do yourself a favor and take a look at CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule for release details on the year’s biggest premieres.
