The casting director for HBO’s The Last of Us television adaptation did a pretty masterful job of assembling the right people to assay the game’s various characters. Pedro Pascal was Emmy nominated for his portrayal of Joel, even. Many of the actors from the game appeared in the series playing other roles. Most prominently these include game-Ellie Ashley Johnson playing Ellie’s mom, and game-Joel Troy Baker as cannibal James. For season one, only Merle Dandridge as Marlene played her exact game character. Season two will add Jeffrey Wright to that list.
According to Variety, Oscar nominee Wright will play Isaac in the TV series’ second season. He also played Isaac in the controversial 2020 video game, The Last of Us Part II. The character is “the quietly powerful leader of a large militia group who sought liberty but instead has become mired in an endless war against a surprisingly resourceful enemy.”
When you have an actor of Wright’s calibre both familiar with the property and the character, it’s a no-brainer to try to bring them aboard. We’re even more psyched now for The Last of Us to return in 2025.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Instagram and Letterboxd.