The Last of Us Season 2 casts Kaitlyn Dever as Abby

HBO’s The Last of Us has found its Abby. Kaitlyn Dever, of Booksmart and Dopesick, will play the Part II lead in Season 2 of The Last of Us.

Naughty Dog and HBO confirmed the news on Twitter. She was previously rumored to play the character, but now it’s official that Dever will take on the role.

The Last of Us, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, is fresh off eight Creative Emmy wins and is nominated for five main Primetime Emmy awards, including Best Drama. The show was a massive hit for HBO and fans alike.

Speaking on the casting to Variety, co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann said, “Our casting process for season two has been identical to season one: we look for world-class actors who embody the souls of the characters in the source material. Nothing matters more than talent and we’re thrilled to have an acclaimed performer like Kaitlyn join Pedro, Bella, and the rest of our family.”

Abby is the dual protagonist and main antagonist in The Last of Us Part II, which HBO will adapt with its second season. Once a Firefly, the death of her father set her on the road for revenge as a Wolf. Laura Bailey (Marvel’s Spider-Man 2) was the actor for Abby in the video game The Last of Us Part II, garnering her a Best Performance award at the The Game Awards 2020.

Brains and Brawn

Kaitlyn is a very inspired choice for the second protagonist/main antagonist of The Last of Us sequel. She’s a big up-and-coming actress whose biggest roles include her Emmy-nominated role as Betsy in the mini-series Dopesick. Many people might know her as the dual protagonist in Olivia Wilde’s coming-of-age comedy Booksmart, which was one of the funniest films I’ve seen in recent years. Recently, she starred in the Hulu-exclusive alien film No One Will Save You.

Funny enough, this isn’t her first time working with Naughty Dog. Spoiler alert for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, but she actually played Nathan and Elena’s daughter, Cassie. Furthermore, when The Last of Us was in the movie stages, creator Neil Druckmann in a Hollywood Reporter interview revealed Kaityln was among the actresses who table read for the role of Ellie, alongside Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones).

The Last of Us Season 2 is scheduled to film later this year and release sometime next year. If you want to refresh yourself on Abby’s journey, The Last of Us Part II Remastered arrives for PS5 next week on January 19.