HBO’s award-winning live-action adaptation of the hit Naughty Dog videogame brings on Danny Ramirez as loyal soldier Manny; Ariela Barer as young doctor Mel; Tati Gabrielle as military medic Nora; and Spencer Lord as gentle soul Owen.
HBO has announced that its award-winning series, The Last of Us, has added four new cast members for Season 2.
Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) joins as Manny, described as “a loyal soldier whose sunny outlook belies the pain of old wounds and a fear that he will fail his friends when they need him most.” Ariela Barer (How to Blow Up a Pipeline, Runaways) is Mel, “a young doctor whose commitment to saving lives is challenged by the realities of war and tribalism.” Tati Gabrielle (You, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) is Nora, “a military medic struggling to come to terms with the sins of her past.” Finally, Spencer Lord (Riverdale, Family Law) is Owen, “a gentle soul trapped in a warrior’s body, condemned to fight an enemy he refuses to hate.”
Additional newcomers to the series include Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart) as the multifaceted villain Abby, Young Mazino (Beef) as the infallibly good Jesse, Isabella Merced (Madame Web) as the free spirit Dina, and Catherine O’Hara in an undisclosed role.
The Last of Us centers around protagonists Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they band together to survive in a post-pandemic world. The courageous duo must fend off enemies infected by the cordyceps virus called clickers in their search for remaining humanity. At its core, the series is a classic zombie tale following the fallout of a widespread deadly disease. The first season also starred Gabriel Luna, Merle Dandridge, Nico Parker, Murray Bartlett, Nick Offerman, Jeffrey Pierce, Anna Torv, and Melanie Lynskey.
Neil Druckmann, co-president of video game studio Naughty Dog, serves as co-creator and executive producer alongside Craig Mazin (Chernobyl). Carolyn Strauss, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan and Rose Lam executive produce. Kantemir Balagov, Jasmila Žbanić, Ali Abbasi, Peter Hoar, Jeremy Webb and Liza Johnson direct. The series is produced in collaboration between Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint and Naughty Dog.
For Season 1’s 10 episodes, approximately 3,000 visual effects shots were created by DNEG, Wētā FX, Distillery VFX, Zero VFX, Important Looking Pirates, beloFX, Storm Studios, Wylie Co., RVX, Assembly, Crafty Apes, UPP, RISE, Framestore, Digital Domain and MAS.
The Last of Us Season 1 streams now on Max.
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