Season 2 of HBO's The Last of Us will begin shooting once the Hollywood strikes come to an end, and now fans have confirmation that the next season's most integral new character, Abby, has been cast.
Season 1 was based on the first video game in the series, and Season 2 will follow the direction of the second game, The Last of Us Part II, introducing several new characters intrinsic to that story. Showrunner Craig Mazin previously suggested in June that Abby had to yet to be cast, indicating that significant movement has been made on the show's development in the time since.
The Last of Us' Abby Has Been Cast
HBO and showrunner Craig Mazin confirmed to the LA Times that the actor who will portray Abby in Season 2 of HBO's The Last of Us has officially been cast.
However, the actor's name hasn't been revealed just yet, as Mazin is likely waiting until the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) strikes are over to announce their new star.
Rumors and speculation have run rampant as to who could fill out Abby's role in the series' second season, with fan-casts ranging from the likes of The Wilds' Shannon Berry to Avatar: The Way of Water's Bailey Bass.
In a recent comment from Mazin during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter (THR), he opened up about trying to find an actor suitable for the important role of Abby and further teased that they got exactly who they wanted, saying that he believes they "got it right:"
"The strike stopped us in our tracks. Things were in process. Look, Abby was the first role that we wanted to tackle. We’ve got a pretty good track record of making major cast announcements and people going, 'Really?' which will probably continue. So people may disagree, but I think we got it right so far and the audience seems to feel we got it right and the Academy seems to feel we got it right."
Who Is Abby in The Last of Us Part II?
Without going into any potential spoilers for Season 2 of The Last of Us, it is safe to say that Abby is an extremely important character and that fans can expect to see a lot of her in the upcoming installment.
Abby is actually a playable character in The Last of Us Part II video game, and fans who have already made it through that game will know just how integral she is to Joel and Ellie's narrative.
As Mazin stated in his interview with THR, Abby had to be the "first role" that was cast in Season 2.
With the story of The Last of Us being far from over, as indicated by showrunner Craig Mazin suggesting that the series could run for up to four seasons, Abby's casting will be an important decision for the longevity of the series.
Her interactions with other important characters in The Last of Us Part II only make it that much more important that the right person is chosen for the role, but since Mazin feels that they "got it right," fans will be more than excited to find out exactly who it is.
No official release timing has been made public for The Last of Us Season 2, but many expect it sometime in 2025.
