After an undeniably successful first season, there have been rumours, speculation, and anticipation building around the concept of season two of HBO’s The Last of Us. Announced this week was the news that Canadian-American actress Catherine O’Hara — of Schitt’s Creek and Home Alone fame — was joining the cast, giving the first snippet into any clue about the second season.
Based on the highly successful video game of the same name, The Last of Us hit our screens last year. If follows the story of hostile loner Joel (Pedro Pascal) and his mission to smuggle human cure Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across America during a zombie apocalypse. The Last of Us took us on many twists and turns, some of which deviated from the original writing of the video game, but brought something to television that connected with fans in a more than memorable way.
Not straying from the video game lore, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, the writers of the screenplay, have managed in the past to introduce new characters that enhance the story whilst adding rich layers to characters that existing audience’s already know and love. This was most notable in episode three of the first series, where we were introduced to Bill (played by Nick Offerman) and his partner, Frank (Murray Bartlett). Although we know Bill from the video game, how he was presented and developed for TV was completely different to that of his original concept and this difference flourished on screen. He was also paired with Frank, who was entirely original and a welcome addition to the story.
Loved the first season of The Last of Us? Check out Emily’s review here!
This was also the case with the character of Kathleen, who Actress Melanie Lynskey bought to life in a dark and complex way. Kathleen, a leader of a revolutionary movement in iron fist Kansas City, was written in by Druckman. Lynskey’s portrayal was welcomed with positive reviews, with her quiet aggression being applauded and hounded as terrifying. A similar case may be on the horizon for O’Hara.
The new season has already taken on an erray of new cast members: Kaitlin Dever as Abby, Young Mazino as Jesse, and Isabela Merced as Dina. These cast announcements all have one thing in common though – they have all been announced as existing video game characters. However, O’ Hara’s character has been left hushed; a stand-out statement considering the casting of the rest was transparent. This only adds to the speculation that whoever she is going to play is going to be part of an expansion of the story that played out so heartbreakingly in the Last of Us: Part 2.
Filming has already been set up in Vancouver for the second series, with the bulk of the inspiration for the first episodes taken from the first few parts of the second game.
Words by Maisie Hancox
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