“The Last of Us” Season 2 has added four new cast members, Variety has learned.
Danny Ramirez (“Top Gun: Maverick,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”), Ariela Barer (“How to Blow Up a Pipeline,” “Runaways”), Tati Gabrielle (“You,” “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”), and Spencer Lord (“Riverdale,” “Family Law”) have all joined the hit HBO series’ second season.
Ramirez will play 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.” Barer will play Mel, said to be “a young doctor whose commitment to saving lives is challenged by the realities of war and tribalism.”
Gabrielle has been cast as Nora, “a military medic struggling to come to terms with the sins of her past.” And Lord will appear as Owen, “a gentle soul trapped in a warrior’s body, condemned to fight an enemy he refuses to hate.”
Ramirez is repped by CAA, Anonymous Content, Viewpoint, and Hansen Jacobson. Barer is repped by Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment, Verve, and Felker Toczek. Gabrielle is repped by CAA, manager Deidre Graham and Fox Rothschild. Lord is repped by RED Management.
These are the latest four castings for the second season of “The Last of Us.” Aside from returning stars Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie, the new season will also feature Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, and Kaitlyn Dever as Abby. Catherine O’Hara was also recently cast in an undisclosed role.
“The Last of Us” is based on the hit video game of the same name created by Neil Druckmann and developed by Naughty Dog. The official description states “the story takes place twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel (Pascal), a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.”
“The Last of Us” is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin and Druckmann. Both have also directed episodes of the show. Carolyn Strauss and Evan Wells, president of Naughty Dog, executive produce along with PlayStation Productions’ Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan as well as Jacqueline Lesko and Cecil O’Connor. The series is a co-production between HBO and Sony Pictures Television. PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog produce.