The Last of Us Showrunner Predicts A Casting Backlash For Major S2 Role

Working on a video game adaptation is difficult enough. Working on an adaptation of an iconic game that has secured its place as one of the most touching adventures ever written is even harder.

The Last of Us showrunners have already proven themselves worthy after the success of season 1, but with a second installment on the way, they may have to defend themselves once again.

Just as the Internet didn't initially accept Bella Ramsey as Ellie and Pedro Pascal as Joel, Craig Mazin expects a similar reaction to the casting of another major character.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he shared his thoughts on the process behind the casting and expressed his readiness for the backlash:

“Look, Abby was the first role that we wanted to tackle. We’ve got a pretty good track record of making major cast announcements and people going, “Really?” which will probably continue. So people may disagree, but I think we got it right so far and the audience seems to feel we got it right and the Academy seems to feel we got it right,” he teased.

Though it's hard to imagine another Ellie with another Joel today, as both Ramsey and Pascal gave brilliant performances and established amazing chemistry, things could go much worse for Abby. Not only will her character be an antagonist in season 2, but she was also meant to be different from what people are used to seeing in female characters in video games.

This fact alone made a certain part of the audience completely outraged when the game was released. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell if the Internet has learned its lesson and will repeat the scandal.

Also, spoilers aside, Abby's casting could be considered insensitive for another important plot reason, so the production team for season 2 of the show would have to be twice as careful with their decision. According to Mazin, however, the casting has already been decided.

Now it's up to the studios to find some common ground with all the writers and actors on strike to finally end the strike and get back to work. Until then, you can catch up on the first season of The Last of Us by streaming it on MAX or Hulu.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter