Whether or not the show is fully faithful to its source material, HBO’sThe Last of Ushas arguably had superb casting selections. It’s been fascinating seeing an emotionally complicated Bill explored more thoroughly, for instance, while seeing Ellie’s mom for the first time and played by Ellie’s actress, Ashley Johnson, was a great means for a poignant cameo. Now,whoever was going to be cast as Abby Andersonwas always going to be a tantalizing prospect considering that the reactions the character elicits will likely be the same. Kaitlyn Dever has stepped up to the plate and, with little shown in pre-release marketing of Abby thus far, it will be fascinating to see how Abby’s character is developed in a television series rather than a video game.
Apart from her role in HBO’s second season ofThe Last of Us, though, Dever is no stranger to Naughty Dog as she played Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher’s daughter, Cassie, inUncharted 4: A Thief’s Endnearly a decade ago. Dever’s ties to Naughty Dog might end there but, with theUnchartedfranchise once more rumored to have its cobwebs dusted, another role—a reprised one, rather—could also be in store with Tati Gabrielle’s multiple Naughty Dog-related roles in the last several years concocting a pattern.
Tati Gabrielle’s Naughty Dog Prominence Demonstrates the Studio’s Adoration for Her
It’s not unheard of for actors to be cast in a handful of projects by an umbrella production company or by directors who enjoy their work/working relationship. Still, withNaughty Dog’s live-action adaptation effortsnow brought to fruition viaUnchartedandThe Last of Us, it seems fairly clear that the studio making these adaptations’ games enjoys working with the same actors and honoring their work with additional roles.
Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker were both cast in small roles for HBO’sThe Last of Us, for example, withNolan North having a small role inUncharted.
Interestingly, Tati Gabrielle has been quite vital to Naughty Dog since theUnchartedmovie. Gabrielle played Jo Braddock in Sony’sUnchartedmovie and her involvement with Naughty Dog projects has evidently only blossomed as she’s portraying Nora in the second season ofThe Last of Us—alongside Dever’s Abby—as well asJordan A. Mun inIntergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Therefore, it seems like no small coincidence that Naughty Dog wanted Gabrielle to playThe Heretic Prophet’s protagonist.
Kaitlyn Dever Should Follow Abby in The Last of Us with a Comeback as Cassie in Uncharted
Because Tati Gabrielle has been cast in multiple Naughty Dog projects, it’s probably not far-fetched to assume that even a tiny part of the consideration for Kaitlyn Dever in HBO’sLast of Usshow was due to Naughty Dog’s established history with her, regardless of how small that role was and how long agoA Thief’s Endwas released. Meanwhile, therumor of a newUnchartedgameshould still be taken lightly for the time being as there have been countless rumors of anUncharted 5sinceThe Lost Legacy.
However, with Dever now playing such an immense role inThe Last of Us’ HBO show, it seems like it’d be a fantastic opportunity for Naughty Dog to indulge in its patternable behavior and have her reprise the role of Cassie in a newUnchartedgame. It would seem odd for anUncharted 5not to follow or at least provide an update on Cassie, and with Dever naturally being older it could be great to see or play as an older Cassie who has perhaps inherited her father’s rambunctious treasure-hunting nature. Either way, it would be terrific to see Dever play a role in any of Naughty Dog’s upcoming games.
