Image: Naughty Dog
The Last of Us has cast one of Season 2’s most pivotal roles.
HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2 has officially found its Abby. Game developer Naughty Dog and HBO announced today that Kaitlyn Dever has joined the adaptation’s cast as Abby Anderson, one of the main characters from The Last of Us Part 2. Dever joins returning cast members Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey this season, both of whom play Joel and Ellie respectively.
Here’s the announcement tweet:
Kaitlyn Dever cast as Abby in The Last of Us Season 2
HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation has cast arguably Season 2's most important role: Abby Anderson, a character who comes into conflict with Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us Part 2. HBO describes its version of Abby as, “a skilled soldier whose black-and-white view of the world is challenged as she seeks vengeance for those she loved.” That doesn’t sound too different from the games’ version of Abby, played by actor Laura Bailey.
Kaitlyn Dever is best known for starring roles in movies like No One Will Save You and Booksmart, as well as TV series like Justified, Dopesick and Last Man Standing. This will be the second time the actor has worked on a Naughty Dog production, after playing Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher’s daughter Cassie in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. She reportedly also auditioned for the role of Ellie in The Last of Us Season 1, but the producers wanted a younger actor for the role and picked Bella Ramsey instead.
Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann released a statement on the casting, saying:
Our casting process for season two has been identical to season one: we look for world-class actors who embody the souls of the characters in the source material. Nothing matters more than talent, and we’re thrilled to have an acclaimed performer like Kaitlyn join Pedro [Pascal], Bella and the rest of our family.
The Last of Us Season 2 is expected to begin filming in mid-February, with a tentative release window of 2025. That gives the series plenty of time to work around the complex events of the game it's adapting, which takes players through multiple locations and time skips as Joel, Ellie and Abby close in on a horrific confrontation. It’s also a much longer game than its predecessor, though Mazin has confirmed that at least two seasons are planned to adapt its story.