HBO’s The Last of Us has found its Abby

Season 2 of HBO The last of us Kaitlyn Dever plays Abby Anderson, the antagonist (and playable protagonist) of the video game The Last of Us Part 2, HBO and developer Bad Dog announced on Tuesday.

Dever will join returning cast members Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie in the next season of HBO’s adaptation of the post-apocalyptic video game series.

Dever has been nominated for a Golden Globe and Emmy and is best known for her roles in films such as Smart book And No one can save youand TV series Justified And Dope sick. She also appeared in Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: The end of a thief as Cassie, daughter of Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher.

Abby inside The Last of Us Part 2 was played by Laura Bailey, a longtime Naughty Dog employee and veteran voice actor, who made a brief cameo in Season 1 of HBO’s The last of us as a nurse in the series finale, “Look for the Light.” Abby’s appearance in the game was based on two other women: face model Jocelyn Mettler and athlete Colleen Fotsch. The fictional events of The Last of Us Part 2 also led to the women who played Abby being harassed by alleged fans of Naughty Dog’s games, including numerous death threats against them.

Abby’s role will be crucial to the story of season 2 (and possibly season 3). The last of us. Set years after the original game, the story of Naughty Dog’s sequel focused on the consequences of Joel and Ellie’s choices in the first chapter; players experienced the resulting conflict from two perspectives, playing as both Ellie and Abby over time The Last of Us Part 2‘s long story.

Season 2 of The last of us has no announced release date, but probably won’t be released until 2025. It is unlikely that this will be the last season, especially if the success of the first is maintained. Show creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have told the remaining story The last of us will cover “more than one season.”