The Two Actors From The Last Of Us Game Who Are Returning For The HBO Max Series
"House of the Dragon" has brought fantasy back to HBO, but that isn't the only excitement on the horizon. Perhaps the most anticipated upcoming series on the platform is the adaptation of the massively successful video game "The Last of Us." The zombie apocalypse franchise spawned two core games, centering around the relationship between gruff survivor Joel and a girl named Ellie, who essentially becomes his adopted daughter. With devastating storylines and captivating writing, "The Last of Us" timeline is full of rich material for the adaptation to pull from.
A brief promo from HBO showed a frosty landscape, portending rough trials ahead for Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in their efforts to survive. Other cast members have joined the team, including Gabriel Luna and Anna Torv (via HBO). Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, who voiced the original Joel and Ellie, are clearly not appearing as their video game counterparts, but the actors from the game aren't being completely neglected. In an exciting update, it appears that at least two actors from the "The Last of Us" game will be making an appearance in the HBO series.
Merle Dandridge is the only actor reprising her original role
Players of the video game will know any adaptation of "The Last of Us" won't be the easiest viewing. The post-apocalyptic series deals with the ramifications of the end times, as well as themes that strike at the heart of what it is to be human. Both Ellie and Joel have to make difficult decisions in order to survive. One of the large conflicts occurs with Marlene, a leader of the rebel group known as the Fireflies. Merle Dandridge voices the character in the games, and, according to Entertainment Weekly, she's the only actor who will be portraying their video game persona in the live-action version.
Marlene first appears as a protector of Ellie of sorts. But this all changes when she realizes that Ellie may hold the key to a cure for the global infection, which can only be extracted with surgery. The only problem is that Ellie won't survive the procedure. Though Marlene cares for her, she ultimately decides that one sacrifice to save many is the only option. Though the majority of the video game cast isn't being brought back for the HBO series, Dandridge is the outlier. She resembles her video game character and has already proven she has the acting chops to pull it off. And though she is the only one to play the same role in the games and the show, she's not the only video game alum joining the cast.
Jeffrey Pierce won't be playing Tommy in the HBO series
Also confirmed to appear in HBO's "The Last of Us" is Jeffrey Pierce, who plays an important figure in the video game series. Pierce voices Tommy Miller, a fellow survivor of the apocalypse and Joel's brother. Though they were close before the infection started, their circumstances drive them apart. Tommy doesn't approve of the dark path that Joel goes down, which is the result of his daughter Sarah's death. Eventually, the two part ways and Tommy joins the Fireflies for a time.
Deadline has reported that Tommy will be played by Gabriel Luna in the live-action series, who may be best known for his role in "Terminator: Dark Fate." He seems to be fitting in well with the cast as he and Pedro Pascal have been seen bonding as brothers on Instagram. Though Pierce's role was taken from him, he's still been added to the cast in a supporting role. According to Deadline, the actor will appear as a character named Perry, who's reported to be a rebel in the zombie infestation.
For those concerned that the former voices of the main characters — Troy Baker and Ashely Johnson — are not being respected, fear not. Though it's unclear exactly who they'll be playing, it's been confirmed that they have roles in the HBO series as well. It should be a family reunion when "The Last of Us" premieres.