HBO Needs to Hear a Brutal Truth About ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Casting as New Teaser Raises Doubts About Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby
- The Last of Us season 2 teaser was released recently.
- Fans believe Kaitlyn Dever was more suited for the role of Ellie rather than Abby.
- The show runners explain the shorter season 2.
Regarded as one of the best adaptations of a video game, The Last of Us, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, will be returning to the screens for season two. After a successful season one, the second season, reportedly set five years after the events of season one, is going to introduce new characters and new challenges for Joel and Ellie.
The Last of Us is the first series for HBO that is based on a video game and was created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. The series not only became one of the most popular and successful but also recorded a significant amount of viewership, making it the most-watched debut season for HBO. Ahead of season two, the trailer that was recently released has raised questions among fans about one character.
Fans believe The Last of Us makers made a mistake by casting Kaitlyn Dever as Abby
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are set to return as Joel and Ellie for the highly awaited second season of The Last of Us. A short teaser for the upcoming season was shared at the Electronics Giant’s presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
As known, the second season picks up five years after the events of season one, but Joel and Ellie have plenty of battles to fight, just like in season one. The teaser kicks off with a voice that says,
It doesn’t matter if you have a code like me; there are just some things everyone agrees are just wrong.
The voice introduces the audience to the much-anticipated look of Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, a character who plays a key role in The Last of Us game series. She is seen walking through a hospital as a creepy siren wails in the background. Where fans cannot wait for the show to premiere, they have mentioned that maybe The Last of Us makers have made a mistake in casting Dever as Abby.
They mentioned that the actress would have fit in for the role of older Ellie, hinting that Bella Ramsey appears a little younger than how her character should have aged. They noted that Abby in the game series is someone who is very muscular, but Dever is not that muscular when compared.
Fans took to their social media to share their opinion on Dever’s casting, and one of them mentioned, ‘Dever should’ve been Ellie.’ Industry insider Daniel Richtman went on to explain why fans feel that Dever’s casting was a miss. He wrote,
I have a huge problem with the Abby casting. Great actress, don’t get me wrong. I’m sure she’ll do great. But what made Abby special was how much she felt like a physical threat. Someone like Katy O’Brian but younger would have been better.
Others suggested that along with Dever, the makers should have recast Ellie as well because Bella Ramsey, despite her very strong personality, looks younger compared to her character in the game. But there have been fans that support it as well, as they believe that both actresses are going to kill it in the show.
The Last of Us makers explain shorter season 2 with just seven episodes
Showrunners and directors of the show Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, in their conversation with Deadline, explained why season 2 is comparatively shorter than the first. Mazin said,
The story material that we got from Part II of the game is way more than the story material that was in the first game, so part of what we had to do from the start was figure out how to tell that story across seasons.
The co-creator added that when working with that much material, one looks after natural breakpoints and mentioned they laid it all out. Mazin noted that the breakpoint felt like it came after seven episodes. He mentioned during the conversation that they don’t think they are going to be able to tell the story even within two seasons because they are taking their time and going down an interesting pathway, which is something they did in season one as well.
The showrunner shared with the publication that they at this point feel like it’s almost assuredly going to be the case that—as long as people keep watching, they can keep making more television. He lastly mentioned Season 3 will be significantly larger, and indeed the story may require another season.
Mazin once again assures the fans that the reason the second season is supposedly shorter is because they are taking time to tell stories. The story that they are telling is much bigger than the story of Season 1; there is just a lot more going on, and it’s a lot harder to produce, but they want every episode to feel like it’s a blockbuster on its own.
Druckmann noted that the theme of unconditional love and revenge from the game is going to be reflected in the seasons. He added that the unconditional love theme from season one is going to continue, and it’s just the dark side of the coin.
The Last of Us is scheduled for an April 2025 release.
