Summary
- Kaitlyn Dever was initially considered to play Ellie in The Last of Us movie, but now joins Season 2 as Abby.
- Dever’s casting as Abby showcases her versatility as an actress for emotionally complex roles.
- The Last of Us Season 2, premiering April 13, 2025, introduces new characters, including the divisive Abby.
The Last of Us Season 2 is set to premiere next month and it will feature several new characters, including Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby. However, it turned out that Dever was supposed to be part of the franchise over a decade ago.
The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic drama series based on Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed 2013 video game. Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann developed a series inspired by the game starring Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller and Bella Ramsey as Ellie Williams. Joel and Ellie formed a father-and-daughter-like relationship as they were forced to journey together, with the former tasked to bring the latter to the Firefly base because Ellie is immune to the Cordyceps infection and could hold the key to a potential cure. A new character is joining Season 2, who will end Joel’s life, but it turns out that she was the producers’ choice to play Ellie in another project that didn’t materialize.
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Dever joins The Last of Us Season 2 as Abby, one of the divisive characters in the franchise. Although she will make her debut in the show’s second season, co-showrunner Craig Mazin revealed that she had always been part of the show because she was supposed to play the main protagonist, Ellie. Mazin explained, per GamesRadar:
Kaitlyn was within The Last of Us DNA because when she was younger and [co-showrunner Neil Druckmann] and I were contemplating making The Last of Us as a movie were considered casting her for Ellie. And when the show rolled around she was no longer convincingly 14, I think it’s fair to say.
The Last of Us movie was in talks in 2014, with Spider-Man director Sam Raimi on board as producer. However, the project was eventually shelved because Sony and Druckmann had different perspectives about the project. Sony wanted extravagant set pieces, but the franchise’s creator preferred a modest indie film. Dever got the role and even went as far as doing a table read for Ellie’s character, but the project was canceled. In 2020, HBO greenlit The Last of Us series. Dever, however, was already in her mid-20s and lost the opportunity to play Ellie. However, she’s joining the series as Abby.
Dever’s casting as Abby in HBO’s The Last of Us is a wise choice because she’s a versatile actress. She has proven her talent in pulling off emotionally complex characters. Abby is a divisive character from the franchise and there is no doubt that Dever could portray her well. There is no question about Dever’s prowess in her craft, as she was nominated for an Emmy for her role in the drama Dopesick. Mazin was also right that Dever had been part of the show because she was supposed to play Ellie. Although her character in The Last of Us Season 2 is in direct contrast to her supposed role over a decade ago, she is still playing a significant part in the show. However, this time, her role is contemptuous. Nevertheless, Dever remains a significant figure in the franchise.
The Last of Us Season 2 premieres on HBO Max on April 13, 2025.
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Source: GamesRadar