Kaitlyn Dever Joins Cast As Abby

Topline

The forthcoming second season of HBO’s hit show “The Last Of Us,” based on the popular video game franchise, is reportedly set to begin production next month as Kaitlyn Dever joins the series as Abby, in a highly anticipated casting announcement.

Key Facts

Key Background

The first season of “The Last Of Us” is an adaptation of the video game of the same name, which was released in 2013 to considerable acclaim and huge sales: The game earned a 95% score on Metacritic, and more than 17 million copies of the game had been sold by 2018. The popularity of the show also helped push the game back up the charts. The game follows Joel, played by Pascal in the series, and Ellie, played by Ramsey, twenty years after a fungal outbreak destroyed most of civilization. Joel is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, across the United States as they struggle to survive. The success of the first game spawned a franchise: A sequel game, “The Last Of Us Part II,” was released in 2020, and a remake of the first game with enhanced gameplay, “The Last Of Us Part I,” debuted in 2022. The games have also inspired a comic book series and a forthcoming board game.

Surprising Fact

Dever’s character Abby was met with controversy upon her introduction in the “Last Of Us Part II” video game. Though the game received rave reviews from critics, scoring a 93% on Metacritic, the Metacritic user score was subject to a review bombing campaign that at its lowest left the user score at 3.4/10, partly because of negative reception to Abby. Some users criticized Abby’s muscular stature and took issue with the gameplay, which forced players to control Abby for much of the game when many had expected to control Ellie instead. Some players were also angered by Abby’s role in the death of a character in the game. Abby’s voice actress Laura Bailey was the subject of death threats, prompting game developer Naughty Dog to condemn the “harassment or threats directed toward our team and cast.” Despite the controversy, Bailey won Best Performance at the IGN Game Awards and Performer in a Leading Role at the BAFTA Game Awards.

Tangent

“The Last Of Us” has been met with strong reviews from critics and has received many accolades. The first season has a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and the critics’ consensus states it is “bingeworthy TV that ranks among the all-time greatest video game adaptations.” The series won eight awards at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Jan. 6, making it the night’s biggest winner, including guest acting awards for Nick Offerman and Storm Reid as well as awards for crafts like visual effects and picture editing. The series will compete for even more awards at the Primetime Emmy Awards on Jan. 15, including major categories like Outstanding Drama Series and nods for Lead Actor and Actress in a Drama Series for Pascal and Ramsey, respectively. The show was nominated for Best Television Series — Drama and acting awards for Pascal and Ramsey at the Golden Globes, though it did not win any of its categories.

Further Reading

‘Last of Us’ Season 2 Casts Kaitlyn Dever as Abby (Variety)

‘The Last of Us’ Grabs Eight Wins on Night 1 of 2023 Creative Arts Emmy Awards (Variety)