As if a full-blown apocalypse wasn't already a big enough threat for the morally ambiguous protagonists heading up HBO's The Last of Us, the hugely popular first outing will give way to a second round that has the potential to be twice as much of a harrowing and emotional gut-punch, thank to the impending introduction of video game villain-turned-quasi-hero Abby. And now we finally know who will be taking on that complex and controversial role.
The Last of Us Season 2 has officially cast Last Man Standing vet and No One Will Save You star Kaitlyn Dever to play Abby, a choice that I'd previously championed when the actress' name was attached to rumors for the role. Because it's clearly the perfect choice for whatever reasons you may or may not be able to come up with at a moment's notice. Dever is Abby, and that's just how it goes.
While the casting first broke without unofficial confirmation, HBO confirmed Dever joined the show through the Max X page by tweeting the below message:
Kaitlyn Dever has joined the cast of the HBO Original series #TheLastofUs for Season 2.
Granted, that isn't a full-blown agreement that the Book Smart co-star will indeed be portraying Abby when Season 2 kicks off filming, but I can't imagine how big of a pisser it would be for showrunner Craig Mazin to bring Kaitlyn Dever is as anyone but Abby. Or if she played some quickly eliminated rando whose name also happened to be Abby. Let's hope everyone involved is smarter than all that, though.
Part of what makes Kaitlyn Dever such a perfect choice for the video game adaptation is she was a key part of the casting hopes and rumors back when The Last of Us first sparked live-action conversations, with the plans initially being more movie-focused. By the time the HBO series was happening, she'd aged out of the teen role, which inevitably went to Game of Thrones vet Bella Ramsey, who certainly made their mark on the role in Season 1.
So no regrets there, but I could not be more pleased that the panging for Dever to join the Last of Us universe is no longer a worry, and I can now just start to build up excitement for what she'll bring to the badass role.
Dever also adds another layer of critical gold to an already stacked cast. Speaking of, Season 1 faves Nick Offerman and Storm Reid took home two of the HBO series' first Emmys, winning their respective Outstanding Guest Star categories during the Creative Emmy Awards ceremony. The series won out in 8 categories overall that evening, also for sound editing, opening titles and more, which is promising for its chances when the Primetime Emmys air on January 15.
The Last of Us Season 2 is set to film throughout much of 2024, and will hopefully debut on HBO (and for those with Max subscriptions) as early into 2025 as humanly or clicker-ly possible. Until then, check out all the other awesome upcoming horror TV shows that will keep us busy until Abby's sneer comes into our lives.
