Summary
The countdown is finally on forThe Last of UsSeason 2, where Sundays will become the best day of the week for fans of the post-apocalyptic series. Before that, however, Kaitlyn Dever (Abby) opens up about reading for the role of Ellie in the scrapped movie adaptation, and how it now feels being a part of the TV series years later. The highly anticipated returning season of the HBO series is set to take a giant deep dive into Naughty Dog’s video game sequel, which takes place four years after the events of the first game. This time around, not only will viewers get to see a new round of faces inSeason 2 like Abby Anderson, Dina, Jesse, and Gail (who wasn’t in the games), but fans will also be greeted with a much darker, sinister world than shown previously.
The Last of UsSeason 2 will also include a big timeline changein its events, which is a departure from the game. The story will follow Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) five years after the show’s first season, but this time, their wholesome relationship has taken a step backward. As seen in the cliffhanger of Season One’s finale, Joel and Ellie reach Jackson, but before they go into the town, Ellie asks him to swear that everything he had told her about what happened back in the Fireflies hospital was true. After swearing that it is, Ellie can be seen reluctantly agreeing before the scene fades to black and the season comes to an end.
Kaitlyn Dever Opens Up About Joining Season 2 and The Last of Us Scrapped Movie
Talking toScreenRantduring a press conference for the new season ofThe Last of Us,Kaitlyn Dever, who plays Abby Anderson, discussed how it felt to join the TV series after she initially did a table reading for the scrapped movie adaptation where she went for the role of Ellie. Dever revealed that she has been a huge fan ofThe Last of Usever since playing the game with her father, which she calls “a real bonding moment.”
Touching upon reading for the part of Ellie inSony’s binnedLast of Usmovie adaptation,Dever said, “Things that are meant to be in your life will happen if they’re supposed to”, meaning that it just wasn’t meant to be at that time for her to star in the franchise when she did the table reading but over 10 years later, fate had then come knocking to give her another chance but this time as Abby.
Discussing HBO’sThe Last of Us, Dever complimentedshowrunners Craig Mazinand Neil Druckmann on what they were able to achieve in Season one, stating, “It was just pure magic. It was really so wonderful.” She also revealed thatThe Last of Ushad always been on her mind, especially after playing the games, and when the opportunity came around to be a part of the franchise, Dever revealed that it felt like a surreal experience for her and that taking on the role of Abby “felt right.”
“It was sort of surreal because I had since become such a huge fan of the show. I loved what the two of them [Craig Mazin & Neil Druckmann] did in this first season. It was just pure magic. It was really so wonderful. I was a fan of the game. It was like a real bonding moment for me and my dad, playing it together. And to have it come back around ten plus years later, it really felt like something I always thought about. I just admired this story so much and what you did. When it did come back around, it felt surreal because it really kind of felt like, “Things that are meant to be in your life will happen if they’re supposed to.” And it just felt right. Abby felt right. It was very cool.”
The Last of UsSeason 2 will premiere exclusively on HBO and Max on April 13.
