THE LAST OF US HBO Series Casts MINDHUNTER And FRINGE Star Anna Torv As Tess

HBO's The Last of Us has added Anna Torv (Fringe, Mindhunter) in a recurring guest star role as Tess, "a smuggler and hardened survivor in a post-pandemic world."

Tess was a supporting character in the first game, and made quite an impression despite - spoiler alert - getting killed off pretty early on. The long-term smuggling partner (there was a suggestion that they may also have been lovers at some point) of Joel, she too had a ruthless, "dog-eat-dog" philosophy.

Torv joins Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) as Joel, Bella Ramsay (Game of Thrones) as Ellie, and Gabriel Luna as Tommy. Merle Dandridge (The Night Shift, Sons of Anarchy, The Flight Attendant) is also on board as Marlene, the Firefly resistance movement leader she voiced in the games, while Nico Parker (Dumbo) will play Joel's daughter Sarah.

The Last of Us is set 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed and centers on the relationship between Joel, a smuggler in this new world, and Ellie, a teenager who may be key to a cure for a deadly pandemic. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle the 14-year-old girl out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey as they traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.

Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and the game's creator Neil Druckmann are writing and executive producing the show. The first season will adapt the events of the original game, but is also expected to include elements of the sequel. Druckmann recently confirmed that the series will take some liberties with the story. The first season will consist of 10 episodes and is expected to air in 2022.

Production has been underway in Alberta, Canada for a couple of weeks now, but aside from a few shop-fronts and street signs, we've yet to see any revealing set photos. Luna did share this snap when filming got underway, though.