HBO’s The Last of Us may have found its Abby for Season 2 – and it’s former Ellie candidate Kaitlyn Dever who could be cast. Entertainment insider Jeff Sneider reports that the Unbelievable actress is “in talks” to take the role of the controversial character, who was playable as a second protagonist in The Last of Us: Part 2.
Dever’s casting would be interesting, as series creator Neil Druckmann previously confirmed she was one of many names in the running to fulfil the role of Ellie, before Bella Ramsey was ultimately selected. According to Sneider, should she land the role it’ll primarily be down to her performance in the 2023 alien invasion movie, No One Will Save You.
Obviously, Abby is crucially important to The Last of Us’ plot, especially considering how things play out with Joel in the sequel. While we won’t dig too deeply into story spoilers here, the character is presented as a kind of antagonist in the early stages of the follow-up, before she embarks on a kind of redemption arc in the second half of the story.
[source theinsneider.com, via videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 50
She would’ve made a fantastic Ellie… maybe a bit old but still, I reckon she would’ve pulled it off. A highly talented actress.
Yes please, can't imagine there's a better choice out there
I think she'll be great but as others have mentioned, she will have to really bulk up a lot.
I have no idea who this is, but I can see it if she bulks up some.
The next Schwarzenegger.
I wish her the best. I just hope she is ready for the inevitable hate that will be slung her way if she does take the role. I know its sad but let's be honest we know it's coming. ☹️
Is The Rock too expensive?
@Odium Check out that movie they mention(No One Will Save You), It's pretty good, and even Steven King liked it. She was also in the hit series Dope Sick.
They’re really going through with this? This will go over well.
I'm all for this, she'd be awesome. She played Cassie (Nate and Elena's daughter) in Uncharted 4 too.
She should have been Ellie. There was literally no other actor out there that suited the role better than her. She’s a fantastic actor.
She would have been the perfect Ellie. If she gets the Abby role, she's going to have to start hit the gym.
Removed - unconstructive
She needs to hit the gym 14 times a week between now and 2025/26.
Unless they decide to ignore that the character was impossible hench to begin with (given the timeline presented in the game i.e. she's shown as having no obvious athletic ability just a few years prior)
She's a great actress, but not right for the role unless she's willing to put in the work. Like others said, she would have been perfect as Ellie.
A part of me thinks it'd be ok if not since it was a bit ridiculous how ripped Abby was, but also if they do change her than that will just add to the crap her and the show gets on social media.
Like others I always thought she would have been a fantastic Ellie. Her performance in Unbelievable and Dopesick was incredible.
I suspect season 2 is going to be the filler between the first game and second game. If that is the case then she doesn't need to be bulked up for this season and it could be the aftermath of the hospital and the beginning of her training.
@pumpkin_head it's quite some time away though before they film it, a good nutritionist, good strength trainer and some heavy dirty bulk and dedication to the roll and she will make it, won't be easy and requires some serious discipline
@illegalmonkey thanks for the recommendation, I’ll definitely check it out.
@Jireland92 In this scene we need you to mercilessly beat this old man..
Was Chris Pratt not available for the role as he’s already got the build 😂
Actually quite excited if this rumor is true. She better be hitting the gym hard though! 😂
I hope they go for a more androgynous Abby. The only woman I ever loved 😍
She was the actress I envisioned for the role of Ellie back when the show was announced. Don't see her fitting the role of Abby though.
no idea who she is. she may be a good actress, i dont know.
But at first sight, she doesnt look like Abby at all.
Whoever gets the role I hope they are upfront and warn her about the disgusting abuse she is likely to get from psychopaths online.
I’m not seeing it, but if they want Ellie and Abby to be more 2 sides of the same coin, basically making Abby look physically more like Ellie, I suppose it works better as a story and in the fight scenes. People who played the game won’t be happy with her change but I think it makes for better tv.
I didn't like the casting of Bella Ramsey, who, despite being a good actress, just didn't look right in the role.
I have no idea who Kaitlyn Dever is, and so cannot speak to the quality of her acting. I cannot see her as Abby right now, but with the right fitness coaching, diet and intense training, maybe she can look the part. As I understand it, they are looking to film the second season next year, so if she is going to undertake the role, she needs to be hitting the gym pretty soon...!
She's not going to get anywhere near Abby big, she's not going to put herself through that change.
Suppose it's debatable whether she needs too, Abby's physique was a visual representation of her singular dedication and focus to slay Joel in a fight. But it's probably not really needed.
Hahahaha now they're just rubbing salt in my wound. She was always my choice to portay Ellie.
She can bulk up, sure. But Abby being 5"2 is not exactly true to character... Bella Ramsey is 5"1 playing teenage Ellie. Surely you'd want both characters to be at least 5"5 as adults? I'm just not as excited for a short bulked up Abby. Feel like it works more if she's average female height .
Yes! First time I saw her on tv was on Justified, and she was very good in that.
If only she was Ellie for S2, that would be incredible! Since Pedro did an "okay" job as Joel and Ellie was donwright mediocre; I will be on Abby's side this time unlike the game.
Bella Ramsey was a poor choice for Ellie and should be swapped out for Sadie Sink immediately.
The show is its own thing. Mazin has said there will be substantial changes to S2.
HBO's Ellie is more angry and twisted than the game version of the character and imo Ramsey does a fantastic job with it. Same will go for HBO's Abby; if it's Dever she'll bring her own brand of toughness to the role rather than huge muscles.
The sour, giant-armed version of Abby in the game didn't exactly work for a lot of people and they obviously aren't going to copy it for HBO's audience. (She isn't going to be killing Pedro Pascal at the very start of the season, either.)
A role where I would actually cast on physical aspects first and acting skills would be secondary.
@get2sammyb No she doesn't. No woman would ruin their body for a one time small role like this.
Better Abby than the freak monster we got. I'm down for this.
@RedRiot193 weight training is actually also healthy for women, just saying
@tameshiyaku Yeah sure. But not the extremes abby went through.
@RedRiot193 guess I didn't catch the steroid chugging within the last of us's lore.
Oh man... Neil Druckmann is going to be pissed if they don't masculinize her first. Can't have anyone remotely pretty now, we wouldn't want that would we? Lol clown world. All jokes aside, she's a good actress I fully support this.
Don't want to be that guy but she really needs to buff up as Abby should be built like a truck.
@JokerBoy422 I know you're joking but Abby was pretty.
LOL way to walk back that character design Neil LMAO. Oh this is priceless.
Reading comments that this actress is too pretty and petite to play Abby. I agree. But maybe it's deliberate. Back when TLoU2 came out, there was strong criticism about the portrayal of Abby as a very butch women. Maybe the show writers want to avoid that same criticism by recasting her character?
Would just like to recommend No One Will Save You, a really great film.
@Korgon man this is one bitter but inevitable side-effect if she cast. I love her in everything i saw her in and she seems like such a sweet and kind person in real life. It's gonna be infuriating seeing hordes of idiots attack and harass her online. But that's no reason not to take the role, especially a role this powerful.
I was really hoping they'd cast her as Ellie way back when (love Bella as Ellie tho), and now i can clearly see her pulling off Abby as well, with some nice cosmic justice added to her finally joining TLoU family. And seeing as to how Neil and Craig shift and change things in writing the show to make it more interesting for the fans and themselves, i am totally accepting of a different take on Abby, so she doesn't necessarily need to bulk up like crazy for it. Loved the changes the duo made so far, very optimistic looking forward and i know for a fact that s.2 is gonna be infinitely better with Dever in it. Fingers crossed and f the haters.
@NeonTiger
I know what you mean about the harassment. I wonder if these actors, especially female ones, have discussions with the producers about the potential for backlash and other harmful online interactions. The number of careers that get sidelined, derailed, or worse because of "fan" criticism is atrocious.
I am the only person that I know that watched the show, and played the games. This being a video game website, I understand the comments. But the show is not pandering to the video game crowd. They have already proven that in the (FANTASTIC) first season, and everyone I know that didn’t play the game, loved the show. The show is its own thing.
Yes. The actor cast is going to have to put up with some truly reprehensible internet trolls who value their “she doesn’t look like I think she should look” opinion way more than they actually should. The only thing that should matter is if the actor is right for the story the show is telling.
The TV show Last Man Standing's youngest daughter. I'm going to go out on a thick sturdy limb and say it's not something most people in these comment sections would watch.
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