HBO's The Last of Us Season 2 is set to premiere on April 13, and the casting news keeps rolling in. The show has added six new actors to its roster, expanding the universe of the acclaimed video game series. According to Variety, the new additions include Joe Pantoliano (Memento, The Matrix), Alanna Ubach (Euphoria, Bombshell), Ben Ahlers (The Gilded Age, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Hettienne Park (Don't Look Up), Robert John Burke (RoboCop 3), and Noah Lamanna (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds).
These last-minute castings will bring to life both characters from the original The Last of Us Part II game and new ones. Joe Pantoliano, for instance, will play Eugene, a character who was only briefly featured in the game as Ellie and Dina's friend. In the series, Eugene's role will be significantly expanded, much like Bill's was in Season 1. Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann shared with Variety their excitement about fleshing out Eugene's background, adding depth to Joel and Ellie's relationship.
Robert John Burke will portray Seth, the bar owner and bigot from the game, while Noah Lamanna will play Kat, Ellie's former girlfriend. Alanna Ubach, Ben Ahlers, and Hettienne Park are set to play new characters named Hanrahan, Burton, and Elise Park, respectively.
These new faces will join the already impressive cast, which includes Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Isabela Merced as Dina, Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, and Gabriel Luna as Tommy. The showrunners have hinted that the events of The Last of Us Part II will unfold over multiple seasons, promising more surprises as the series progresses.
For fans eager for more details, The Last of Us Season 2 aims to tell its story over four seasons, and Neil Druckmann has teased that the upcoming season will include some "pretty brutal" cut content from the original game.
