It's official: we now know who will play the role of Abby in The Last of Us season 2 from HBO. Actress Kaitlyn Dever will play Ellie's vengeful enemy in the follow up to season 1, which recently scooped up several Emmy awards.
Dever is known for various roles in the likes of Unblievable, Dopesick, and Booksmart. The news comes via a report from Variety, confirming Dever's involvement. She was apparently "in talks" to play the part a couple of months ago, but now it's all official. The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog also shared the news on social media:
This won't be the first time Dever is involved in a project from this studio. She also voiced Cassie Drake in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End, so there was clearly already a relationship there. Actually, she voiced her wish to play the role of Ellie a few years ago. While that ultimately went to Bella Ramsey, it seems Dever is a fan of the game and the story.
What do you think of this casting? Are you excited to see Kaitlyn Dever's Abby in the show? Tell us in the comments section below.
[source variety.com]
Comments 64
Certainly a better actress than who plays Ellie, so hopefully she can make it fit despite the obvious differences in appearance.
She's a good actress and would make a good Ellie but sorry i feel Abby's size is a key part of her character and i don't think Dever even if she works out will be Abby's size.
She looks like Ellie far more than Ellie does lol. I think they’re a season late in the casting.
Great actress, very intrigued to see how she gets on in the role.
Someone also tell her to get off social Media.
My biggest concern is Kaitlyn's size, as alluded to above, a big part of Abby's character is her size making her physically intimidating, I just don't get that with her but we'll see when the show comes out.
Also good luck to her online with all the nutters who are weirdly upset about Joel
I hope they warned her about the nut jobs that can't separate fiction from real life.
@IAmAshCohen17 I don’t think it will be that bad tbh. I can’t speak for everyone but I had zero emotional connection to Pascal’s Joel. Same with Ramsey’s Ellie. The only character I felt any kind of emotion for was Bill (Offerman was amazing as always) and his story is done.
I'm kinda curious to see how general audiences will react upon seeing that one particular scene, if it happens in the show.
Hope she's got teflon skin once all the online gremlins attack in force.
S2 is set for 2025/26 right? Nothing few cycles can't solve lol.
She's great, perfect high level HBO casting, so very curious to see how they handle the TLOU2 story bits. Still feels like there's gonna be a different take or shuffling of timelines because you really need certain actors to stick around to maintain viewership
Kool let's get this going season 2 here we go
She needs to hit those weights like a crazy woman if she wants to look credible.
You never know though; modern sports science as it is with tailored diets and training, we could all end up surprised at the results. Remember how ripped Emily Blunt got for Edge of Tomorrow?
Interesting that she tried for Ellie first before getting the role Abby. Can't wait for the next seasons especially when Part 2 will be split into 2 seasons after how great the first season was.
@gymratAmarillo mostly agree, although we haven't really seen this with women in acting gigs.
I'm curious if they go the same route they go with dudes and just blast them with Test/HGH... oh and rice/chicken/hard work, etc.
Kaitlyn is excellent and would have been the perfect Ellie but i understand age ruled her out sadly. She's amazing in unbelievable.
I'm sure she will smash this role. Best of luck to her
She's a great looking Ellie, she can't drastically transform her physique to look like Abby, no actress could or would probably want to , in such a short space of time.
But it will probably still work
Kaitlyn Dever is such a fantastic actress. Justified Season 2 is one of my all time favorite seasons of television, in large part because of the amazing performances by Dever and (Character Actress!) Margo Martindale. She is a great choice to play Abby.
I liked TLOU 2 a lot (although not as much as the original), but some of the choices and structure in the game seem like a tough fit for a TV series. I don’t know how that will be resolved in Season 2, but casting Kaitlyn Dever is a good start.
@JSnow2 yeah pascal carrying the show.
She better start using the juice and lifting. Pretty crazy to see her in the Abby role when everyone wanted her as Ellie. Season 2 is going to be very interesting in how it pans out. Really think they might do the second game as two season with that "event' happen at the end of season two and setting up season 3.
Shes a great actress, (as is Bella and Pascal) but damn she gonna have to join the marines for a year to get ripped!
Loved Kaitlyn in Booksmart and Short term 12. I’m sure she’ll do the character justice.
All of the comments about her having to get ripped…
This is an interpretation of the game, not the game. I think they won’t make her ripped for this. Doesn’t need to be. If they give her a henchman that does the dirty on her behalf then all done. Could include a brother into the equation for example.
@IAmAshCohen17
Everyone should.
Shame, Ronda Rousey must be busy...
@Splat she works in Hollywood. It's all nutjobs.
@Westernwolf4 I didn’t know Devers was in Justified. Loretta was a great character who didn’t get nearly enough screen time. Heck I would have watched her own show, who needs Weeds.
I think she’ll have plenty of time to get in physical shape. Maybe not in real life but it’s tv, so make-up and lighting will do the rest. And for those worried about Pascal getting enough screen time, go back and rewatch season and see how much of it was flashbacks. The ENTIRE Offerman episode for one, plus “Left Behind”. They could easily have episode 1 end where it should and Pascal could still be in every single episode the rest of the season. 🤷🏻♂️
Damn. I was hoping for Whoopi Goldberg 😔
I hope they can find a way to make Bella Ramsay look older than 13. While skeptical of the choice, I thought she did a good job.
Great actress! She will deliver for sure, can’t wait
@rjejr Yeah, she was Loretta in Justified and did an amazing job. She is also great in stuff like Booksmart. I have zero doubt she will be fantastic in this franchise.
They could do things in flashbacks-even the game does a lot of storytelling that way. But that isn’t the only hurdle the game has with regard to TV story telling-I don’t want to do spoilers, but the way the story is told is going to present some challenges for a series. I also think TV watchers of a series often have different expectations than those starting a game about the characters they are watching-and if they stay true to the game, they will be subverting some of those expectations.
There are ways all this can be done for TV as you say, and I fully expect Season 2 to be great. I just think observing what choices they make is going to be highly fascinating.
Hopefully she has good security to keep her safe from the wackos.
@itsfoz Talk about wanting to strip the things that make Abby well Abby. Abby doesn't use henchmen because she's not some mob boss who needs goons and adding a brother just takes away from Abby's story. As for Abby's build yeah she should be huge just like we expect Captain America, Thor and whoever plays Kratos to be, Abby's build says a lot about her and it helps separates her from Ellie.
Hope she doesn't ruin her beauty to get all jacked up.
Interesting to see how she transforms into Abby. Eight Emmys for season 1. Can't wait for season 2!
I really hope that there's a whole spooky episode based on The Descent chapter, where Abby and Lev creep through a run-down hotel. Probably be a two minute scene though to make more time for characters who have nothing much to do with the story.
@ApostateMage It's certainly possible given that the second game will cover the second and third seasons. Another singular episode could be devoted to the Hospital. That was possibly the most terrifying sequence in either of the 2 games.
She is outstanding in No one will you! i think its a very interesting casting.
@Westernwolf4 I really liked the first game and Left Behind but thought the 2nd game was a mess so whatever changes they make for TV storytelling the better. The split into 2 seasons means I probably won't even watch season 2 until season 3 premieres in like 5 years so I may not even remember the game by then. 😂 Hopefully though they film the 2 seasons back to back so even if we have another 2 year wait now we only have to wait 1 more year after that, not 2 or 3. I'm old, streaming TV schedules sucks, I want my yearly shows back. 😩
She has nothing in common with the game character.
Maybe she can recoup some part by hitting the gym, but she can't change her entire look. Abby in the game was tall, had a strong, muscular, almost man-like body and face - Kate here is nothing like that.
But who knows, maybe they're going with a different approach for this character for the TV series... here's hoping it's gonna be good.
she is too feminine for the role of abby. this is a miscast.
Good luck to her.
She needs more swole. Right now she looks like she could be beaten up by a kitten
She would have been the perfect Ellie on top of being a better actress, missed opportunity and now she gets stuck with a role that will only bring her misery. If I was her as soon as the show starts airing I would disable all my social media accounts, if nothing else to protect her mental health.
Kaitlyn Dever is 5'2".
Bella Ramsey is 5'1".
Think I'll just stick with the Semi decent season 1 that had a couple of truly exceptional episodes when not featuring Pedro and Bella.
Abby is supposed to be Ellies counter. Taller, larger, just as driven. With Supreme motivation to become a force of a woman. No amount of Hollywood-ing is going to be able to fix a solid 7 inches of missing height.
@DarthOreo Is anyone mocking her here? Pretty much everyone who's critical is saying she's a good actress who would have made a great Ellie but feel she doesn't seem right for Abby due to obvious reasons.
Honestly i think you never read the comments at all and instead just want to mock and belittle people whose opinion doesn't match yours.
@Xbox_Dashboard Funny isn't it that ND made a big point in showing that Abby is Ellie's opposite in physical stats in TLoUP2 with even Abby's debut trailer making a massive point in showing how huge she is.
This is typical Hollywood casting in that they want a name and a safe pretty face instead of a big well built girl who doesn't suit the Hollywood image. Its telling isn't it that there's so few women in Hollywood who are huge and well built and its because Hollywood doesn't want that in its stars. Abby was never going to be big and well built sadly no matter who they cast.
Protect Her at all costs.
Begone haters
@DennisReynolds To be fair I didn't like the Pedro or Bella castings either. So at least HBO is consistent with wanting the hottest talent. Pedro was fine. So was Bella. But they never even sniffed the level of excellence from the game performances of Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson. There were a couple of truly great episodes. That's it.
Hell, Laura Bailey was Abby's VA. She's 5'5" and at least is solidly built and not at all unattractive. I would much rather have at least some semblance of physicality in the actress who plays Abby
This is old school type casting for an apocalypse show.
Shoulda picked Tiger Woods
@Xbox_Dashboard Worth noting Abby's face model is not Laura, while she done the acting and motion capture the face was just from a face model.
Come on people, characters aren't real, but the actors can still make them come to life, sooooo until you see the outcome there is nothing much to talk about. We know how the game brought these characters to life, now we wait and see how the show does it.
And if you want a laugh in the meantime we can look at how Tom Hardy went from looking like the love child of Fry and Laurie who couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag, to going method and playing an actual real person in Charles Bloomin' Bronson. Worked out pretty well for him in the end too
Great choice, she was FANTASTIC in No One Will Save You. I hope her team have her well protected from the idiotic goblins who are "concerned" about her looks in relation to a made up character. She'll be fab.
Just had a look through some of her pictures and I tell you what, yes she does look more like Ellie in her younger days.
But their are a few pictures which I'd actually say she does look like a abby and I think if she just tones up and gets athletic fit, she will totally pull it off.
She's a great actor, and ive loved her in everything she's done.
She's got this.
Guys don't hate her on Instagram comments, it's not Kaitlyn's fault what Abby did!
@Xbox_Dashboard
I don't know, my guy. Hollywood is full of short/average height actors that look taller due to camera angles and other move magic.
@Carlos82
@Splat
1. In fiction, there is a 'contract' between the fiction and the consumer. The consumer takes a leap of faith to 'follow' the narrative's logic. Now, many people are for example upset about the way Neil strained that contract by having Joel act as a careless, stupid person only to be treated to a scene of absolute death porn. And yes, as a beloved character (whose determination to protect many admired) that sort of broke the contract for many.
2. People who harrass actors or writers DIRECTLY... kind of are nut jobs. I almost forget that people ACTUALLY write to them wanting them to feel negative feelings. We need better laws to enforce a sort of higher moral standard.
3. I don't know why I chose TLOU2-criticism and Days Gone-fandom as little hills, I am ready to die on. Maybe I actually think my desires as a LONG time PlayStation fan somehow should matter to them. Hah, the very absurd notion of that! Someone listening to their core user base...
@Ravix haha great parallel, dude.
Yeah, angles and lighting will do the trick for both Bella and Kaitlyn. The only thing that matters is their acting capabilities, which both of them have in SPADES. I was among those rooting for Dever to get the role of Ellie, but i was absolutely stunned by Bella's performance. And i know Dever is gonna completely own this role like she did every other time i had the pleasure of watching her act.
It seems people underestimate just how versatile the toolkit of a good director of photography is. Even in season one it is very noticeable how older Ellie looks in the second half of the season (from ep. 4 onward) compared to the first. And real-life Bella didn't (and couldn't) change that much during filming, cause was not actually 14, but 18 or 19 at the time. Same goes for Dever.
I actually don't think they'll necessarily go the game route with her appearance. She can have a slim/ripped build (similar to Ellie in Part II), rather than a bulk muscle one. I do love how Abby looks in the game, it's a pretty unique look and does a great job of instilling in you the impression that this girl transformed herself into a weapon for revenge. But i think going slim/ripped way can still manage to portray her determination to her mission, without the need to destroy Dever's aesthetically feminine/gracious features. Although she def has some meat on her bones to go bulk mode, if need be, just watch her in No One Will Save You.
@Ravix, could you please do me a favour? How do you put an image in your forum messages? Thanks...
@Fiendish-Beaver [ img] http:// link for the actual photo etc.jpg [ /img]
But no spaces. Same for .gifs too 😁
Thank you, @Ravix. That really is appreciated...
At this point I think HBO is trolling us.
Or maybe she'll add 50 pounds of muscle in time for filming.
@EfYI I’m also their core user base and I’m glad Joel was killed off and Abby is my favourite character in gaming.
@PinderSchloss
You're are going to have to try harder than that!
Also, unrelated, you're finished, I have a specific set of skills and I will find you and lecture you and you'll be bored to death in under 5 minutes.
attack-rushes from its hill
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