HBO’s The Last of Us TV series has cast its Abby

Kaitlyn Dever has officially been cast as Abby in the second season of The Last of Us TV series.

She was previously confirmed to be in the running for the key role, which will see her playing “a skilled soldier whose black-and-white view of the world is challenged as she seeks vengeance for those she loved”, Variety reports.

The Golden Globe and Emmy nominated actor’s TV credits include Last Man Standing, Justified, Unbelievable and Dopesick. She has also starred in the films Booksmart, Rosaline, Next Goal Wins and No One Will Save You.

“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,” series co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann said in a statement.

“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 was one of the more heavily debated characters in The Last of Us Part 2, partly due to the fact players had to control her at some points in the game, and partly because of her character design.

Although the character is presented as an antagonist early in the game, later sections have the player controlling Abby, as the game attempts to create a redemption arc by making players empathise with her by the end.

The character also has an extremely muscular body, which led to criticism from some players and sparked debate on the lack of body diversity in games.

HBO announced that The Last of Us had been renewed for a second season just two and a half weeks into the first season’s run, which concluded in March.

Mazin said last year that the show’s second season won’t cover the entirety of The Last of Us Part 2 video game, and that the series could run for three to five seasons, “but four seems like a good number.”

After being delayed by the Writers Guild of America strike, the second season of The Last of Us is scheduled to start production in February ahead of a 2025 release.

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The Last of Us Part 2 was released for PS4 in 2020, and a PS5 remaster is scheduled for release on January 19, 2024.

Headline features of the PS5 title are a new single-player roguelike survival mode called No Return, and a trio of ‘Lost Levels’ featuring playable sequences previously cut from the game.