The Last of Us television show is adding another well-known character to its cast, though it's not clear exactly how she might be incorporated into the broader plot. It turns out that Euphoria actress Storm Reid will actually be taking on the role of The Last of Us character who was part of the original game's DLC.
Based on Naughty Dog's original game, The Last of Us takes place about 20 years after civilization has been destroyed by a plague that turned people into zombie-like spore monsters. The series, like the game, will reportedly focus on Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they try and navigate their way out of a quarantine zone set up by a group of survivors known as The Fireflies. While it's been reported that the game's creator, Neil Druckmann has wrapped up his work on the HBO series, it appears there's still plenty to shoot as Reid just joined the cast.
Deadline reports that Storm Reid will join the cast as a special guest star and is set to take on the role of Riley Abel. Riley is well-known to The Last of Us fans who played the "Left Behind" DLC. In that particular piece of add-on content, Riley was a friend to Ellie and the two traveled together through the wasteland that was the northwestern part of the United States after the collapse of the world. Their story took place before Ellie met Joel in the game.
"I got some NEWS," Reid said in a Twitter post announcing the role. "Beyond excited to join the cast of #TheLastOfUs as Riley on @HBO. Let’s get to work. 2022 looking bright already." Reid has become an up-and-coming star over the last few years with appearances in Euphoria, When They See Us, and The Bravest Knight. Her first huge part was in Ava DuVernay's A Wrinkle in Time.
It's unclear whether the addition of Riley to the story means that Reid will be appearing in flashbacks of the time before Ellie and Joel were traveling together, or whether the story in the HBO series has been tweaked a bit. That she's a guest star instead of a series regular may hint at the former.
Other than the makeup of the cast, there still isn't quite a bit known about how the show is going to play out. For now, there isn't even an official release date for The Last of Us series. While some think there's a chance it could launch in the back end of 2022, others believe it won't be arriving until early 2023.
The Last of Us on HBO is currently in production.
Source: Deadline
