So, assuming TLoU has the kind of success to become a franchise, that ND is still interested in continuing it, and assuming Joel and Ellie's story beings and ends with this game, what other type of protagonist(s) would you be interested in seeing in the post-apocalyptic world?
They have done the father-daughter thing here... and in Uncharted you got the quick-witted quipping everyman guy...
If you want to keep the melee brutal like it is, you'd have to have a physically strong protagonist. This is why playing as Ellie is unlikely, since it'd really limit your options for combat. Guns or nothing, run away, basically.
So I wonder what they'd do in another game with a different protagonist(s).