Work is well underway on HBO's live-action adaptation of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us, and this is one video game adaptation that hasn't overlooked the actors from the games. Merle Dandridge will reprise her role as Marlene, while Tommy actor Jeffrey Pierce will lend his talents to a survivor called Perry (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. alum Gabriel Luna has taken over his original role).
Is it a little too soon to think about the TV series adapting the second game? Perhaps, but when we caught up with Derek Phillips to discuss his roles as Nightwing and Aquaman in Injustice, we had to ask the actor if he'd be open to returning as Jerry, Abby's father and the surgeon [spoiler alert!] Joel guns down at the end of The Last of Us. The character later returns in flashbacks.
"I am 100% hoping that opportunity comes up," the actor said. "Any opportunity to work with any of those guys…Craig Mazin…it would be amazing to be part of it. Being part of those games, in general, is something I’m so proud of. The way that came around, I had originally been cast in a bigger part in The Last of Us (the original game). These games take four or five years to be created, and as luck would have it, that character fell by the wayside, changed, and became something completely and totally different. Neil [Druckmann] kept me around and I wound up playing a smaller part as the surgeon at the end of the game."
"I had no clue that by the time the second game came around that they were going to bring me back and I was going to have that bigger part as Jerry, Abby’s dad, the impetus and reason Abby becomes the way she is. I remember having that conversion with Neil when he pulled me aside and said, ‘Hey, this is what we’re doing with the game and I’d love to have you back,'" Phillips recalled. "I was thrilled because I loved the first game so much, not just because of having an opportunity to be involved in the first game, but the opportunity to play the first game. It was a great surprise and I’m really proud to be part of it. I’d love to be part of the live-action version [Laughs]."
Phillips looks strikingly similar to Jerry, and has a lot of on-camera credits to his name. With that in mind, we can definitely picture this casting becoming a reality once The Last of Us TV series reaches that point. As of right now, though, there's no word on how long this small screen adaptation will take to adapt the first game's story (it could easily play out over one or multiple seasons).
Injustice is now available on Digital, DVD, and Blu-ray. Have a look at the trailer below and check back here soon for our full interview with Derek about playing two of DC's most iconic superheroes.