The Last Of Us season 2 casts its Abby

The team behind the critically acclaimed HBO series The Last Of Us has announced who will be playing “skilled soldier” Abby in season two.

Fans of the series have been desperate to know who might be cast as the controversial love-her-or-hate-her Abby Anderson, but between writers’ strikes and actors’ strikes, it has been a painfully long wait.

Now, showrunners are finally thrilled to announce that they have cast actor Kaitlyn Dever in the role.

You might recognise Dever, 27, from films like Booksmart and No One Will Save You, and TV series like Dopesick and Last Man Standing.

News of Dever’s casting will be particularly exciting for the hardcore TLOU fans who had previously campaigned for the actor to play Ellie, because of her uncanny resemblance to the original video game character, before the part was given to Bella Ramsey, 20.

In fact, The Hollywood Reporter notes that Dever had even auditioned for the role of Ellie, but showrunners decided to go with a younger actor.

Announcing Dever’s casting in season two, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann said in a joint statement: “Our casting process for season two has been identical to season one: we look for world-class actors who embody the souls of the characters in the source material.

“Nothing matters more than talent, and we’re thrilled to have an acclaimed performer like Kaitlyn joins Pedro and Bella and the rest of our family.”

The Last Of Us showrunners announced last summer that they had cast their Abby for season two, just before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, but were saving the big reveal until the strikes blew over.

Speaking to The Los Angeles Times at the time, showrunner Craig Mazin had revealed to journalist Jordan Riefe that “the role has been cast, but Mazin isn’t dropping any spoilers.”

HBO was quick to renew The Last Of Us for a second season, which would be an adaption of Naughty Dog’s follow-up video game, The Last of Us Part II, following the resounding success of its first season, which starred Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey and saw both actors shoot to unsurmountable levels of fame.

Now, Dever is set to join them for the ride – though some fans fear that she might not be as beloved as Pascal and Ramsey.

For those unfamiliar, Abby Anderson is a key antagonist in The Last of Us Part II, who fans tend to either love or utterly despise.

Shortly after it was revealed that Abby had been cast, some fans who had played the video game and were therefore familiar with the character’s storyline, sent thoughts and prayers to the actor, who would later be revealed as Dever.

“Scared for them honestly,” tweeted one concerned fan.

“I pray her heart is resilient and her social media is inaccessible to viewers,” commented a second.

And a third warned: “My girl will have to be the bravest soldier.”

The Last Of Us season two is expected to begin shooting this spring, and to air on HBO in 2025.