HBO has announced (via GameFragger.com) that Isabela Merced has signed up to join the cast of The Last of Us season 2. She's said to be the last of three major casting additions to the series which adapts Naughty Dog's hit video game franchise of the same name.
Merced boards the post-apocalyptic drama alongside the previously announced Kaitlyn Dever as Abby and Young Mazino as Jesse.
The Madame Web star has been chosen to play Dina, Ellie's new romantic interest and Jessie's ex. She's described as, "a free-wheeling spirit whose devotion to Ellie will be tested by the brutality of the world they inhabit." Those of you who played The Last of Us Part II will recall that Dina is a major supporting character in the video game sequel.
"Dina is warm, brilliant, wild, funny, moral, dangerous and instantly lovable," Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us‘ co-creators, writers, executive producers and directors, said in a joint statement earlier today. "You can search forever for an actor who effortlessly embodies all of those things, or you can find Isabela Merced right away. We couldn’t be prouder to have her join our family."
Shannon Woodward played Dina in the game and The Last of Us will mark a reunion of sorts for Dever and Merced who starred together in the 2022 movie Rosaline.
Merced is perhaps best known for starring in Dora and the Lost City of Gold and alongside Jason Momoa in Sweet Girl. More recently, she's lent her voice to Illumination's Migration and has lined up a series of major movie roles.
Those include Alien: Romulus, Ballerina Overdrive (not to be confused with the upcoming John Wick spin-off), and the role of Hawkgirl in Superman: Legacy. That's not expected to be more than a cameo, so we don't anticipate any scheduling clashes.
In The Last of Us, after a global pandemic destroys civilization, a hardened survivor takes charge of a 14-year-old girl who may be humanity’s last hope.
The first season starred Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones) star as Joel and Ellie. Gabriel Luna (True Detective) as Joel’s younger brother and former soldier, Tommy; Merle Dandridge (The Flight Attendant) as resistance leader Marlene; and Anna Torv (Fringe) as Tess, a smuggler and fellow hardened survivor.
The Last of Us is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann, of The Last of Us and Uncharted video game franchises.
As we're sure you'll be aware, The Last of Us season 2 doesn't currently have a confirmed premiere date but is expected to return in 2025.