Kaitlyn Dever has joined the casting team of HBO’s breakout hit ‘The Last of Us.’ There are three vital cast members added in the upcoming season of the post-apocalyptic drama, among which Kaitlyn is also included along with the other stars of the series, Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie.
The series ‘The Last of Us’ is an adaptation of the video game under the same title that came out in 2013. It was developed by Naughty Dog for PlayStation and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It had two central playable characters in the start, Ellie and Joel, following which in the 2020 release ‘The Last of Us Part II’ added Abby, the two playable central characters alongside Ellie.
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby in Last of Us
The decision of an upcoming season 2 broke out, and it was additionally announced that the second season will be based on the 2020 release of the game Last of Us Part II. The attention of the audience got diverted to Abbey, and since then, they’ve been highly anticipated to see her as a central character alongside Ellie.
When the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike ended in November, Kaitlyn’s news of being a part of the series as a frontrunner roleplay came out as well after she closed a deal with HBO, the co-producer of the series with Sony Pictures Television.
Kaitlyn’s character, Abby, will be adapted from the game, which brings up her role as a skilled soldier who has a black-and-white view of the world and will be seeking challenges as she moves forward to take vengeance for the ones she loves. The same character was played by Laura Bailey in the game.
Once the news of the upcoming series “The Last of Us” broke out, the co-creators, writers, executive producers, and directors, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckman, came forward, giving more information about the upcoming season and characters. They said, “Our casting process for season 2 has been identical to season 1, as we look for world-class actors who embody the soul of the characters in the source material.”.
Also, followed by the announcement of Katilyn becoming one of the characters, Craig said, “Nothing matters more than talent, and we’re thrilled to have an acclaimed performer like Katilyn join Pedro, Bella, and the rest of our family.”
The Last of Us is written and executive produced by Mazin and Druckman, with the inclusion of Carolyn Strauss, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Rose Lam as executive producers. The shooting of season 2 will be filmed in Vancouver, as it plays a vital role in the background theme setup of the story.
Since the series is an adaptation of The Last of Us Part II video game, which was set in the Pacific Northwest, Vancouver serves well as the setting for the shooting. As per the sources, the shooting of the series is to begin in February 2024.
The cast that was present in season 1 and was shot in Calgary, Alberta, included Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Anna Torv as Tess, Nico Parker as Sarah, Murray Bartlett as Frank, Nick Offerman as Bill, Kievon Woodard as Sam, Graham Greene as Marlon, Elaine Miles as Florence, Ashley Johnson as Anna, Troy Baker as James, Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen, Storm Reid as Riley, Merle Dandridge as Marlene, Jeffrey Pierce as Perry, and Lamar Johnson as Henry.
The story of ‘The Last of Us’ takes place at a point after a twenty-year gap, after modern civilization is destroyed. The story follows where a hardened survivor, Joel (Pedro Pascal), gets hired for a mission to smuggle a 14-year-old girl, Ellie (Bella Ramsey), out of an oppressive quarantine zone.
The story starts with a small mission to execute, but soon, it becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as both of the characters have to traverse the U.S. while surviving as each other’s dependents.
The Last of Us topped the list of winners by winning eight trophies, which also included the Guest Actor in a Drama Series awards for Offerman and Reid, as well as the creative arts portion of the 2023 Emmy Awards.
The new cast member of the series, Dever, is well known for her roles in the limited series Unbelievable and the film Booksmart. Kaitlyn has also earned Critics Choice and Golden Globe nominations for her roles in Unbelievable and Dopesick.
