Despite a recent rumor that Black Widow star Florence Pugh had landed the role of Abby in HBO's second season of The Last of Us, we're now hearing that another actress has officially entered talks for the part, and this is one casting choice that's sure to stir up a lot of conversation!
According to Jeff Sneider, Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart, No One Will Save You) is EP and co-showrunner Craig Mazin and game creator Neil Druckmann's pick to play Abby in season 2 of the survival horror video game adaptation.
Spoilers for the games and (potentially) the second season of the show follow.
Abby is a formidable member of the WLF (Washington Liberation Front), who is obsessed with tracking down Joel for killing her father (the doctor that was preparing to operate on Ellie in the season finale).
She succeeds in gaining her revenge, but it sets her on a collision course with Ellie, which takes both characters to some very dark places over the course of the game. In the end, the two engage in a brutal battle (we're not going to spoil what happens, just in case!)
Abby is tall, jacked and imposing (one character describes her as being "built like an ox"), so while Dever could obviously bulk up to some extent, the actress' slight frame and height (5 '2) would seem to suggest that they are going in a very different direction with this take on the character.
Funnily enough, Dever actually auditioned for Ellie before Bella Ramsey landed the gig.
Check out a recent poster, which is inspired by a key moment from the second game, below.
The Last of Us is set 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed and centers on the relationship between Joel, a smuggler in this new world, and Ellie, a teenager who may be key to a cure for a deadly pandemic. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle the 14-year-old girl out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey as they traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
How would you feel about Kaitlyn Dever taking on the role of Abby in season 2 of The Last of Us? Be sure to drop us a comment down below.