Warning: Spoilers Ahead For The Last of Us Part 2.The Last of Us’ HBO show will likely be favored by fans if it continues on with the same faithfulness and quality that was demonstrated in the pilot. Scenes teased after the first episode aired are further evidence that key beats from The Last of Us’ narrative will be fulfilled later on, and even though some episodes will expand on the game with new interactions and characters, it is still likely to honor the source material. So much faith has been put into the success of The Last of Us’ show that there are already serious contemplations on how it will adapt the sequel in its second season.
New characters will be introduced into the fold and how they interact with The Last of Us’ established characters will be important. Dina, Owen, Jesse, Mel, and many others will be interesting to see cast in The Last of Us’ second season, but above all the most precarious casting will belong to Abby. The character is not only fairly particular in terms of how she looks, but she also needs to be able to carry half of the season as both an antagonist and deuteragonist. This is all in the hopes that fans will feel empathy for Abby even after she commits an act they might deem reprehensible.
Abby Needs to Be Portrayed with Three Different Physicalities
The most difficult challenge in casting an Abby Anderson will be how to approach the character’s three substantial physical changes throughout the narrative. Abby is primarily a physically imposing woman, but there are also important flashbacks that portray her when she is younger, before she has the musculature she develops in her pursuit of revenge.
Then, at the end of the game, Abby is depicted with an emaciated stature after she and Lev have been kidnapped and tortured by the Rattlers. There are a number of ways that the showrunners could approach this—a main actor could be cast as Abby and another actor could be cast as her younger self, and then the main actor could be made thin through CGI. Otherwise, Abby’s actor could have the build of her emaciated self and be CGI’d to have muscles, though that would probably be perceived as a cop-out while the character is chiefly portrayed with muscles.
It would likely be too intensive and grueling a process to have an actor film the emaciated scenes and then bulk up to play her as muscular, and filming that vice versa would be equally demanding on their body. Abby could also feasibly be played by her face model and have her face be identical to the character, but Jocelyn Mettler is not an actor and would presumably need to devote a lot of time to bodybuilding between now and when season two would begin filming if that is the route they choose for her portrayal.
The Last of Us’ Live-Action Abby Has More Leeway Than the Game’s Abby
Because the show is a different interpretation of the game, The Last of Us fans will hopefully be able to dissociate Abby from whoever is cast to play her. Horrible comments and death threats were posed to The Last of Us Part 2’s cast and developers due to what they perceived as being unacceptable in the game’s events, and it would be a tragic repetition if fans decide to let this game affect them in such a condemnable way again.
No matter who is chosen to play Abby, their role as the character should not be selected out of fear of what fans may think. There is no excuse for the hateful words that cast and developers received, and the show should not have to suffer the same fate.
The blow may already be softened for fans who have already played The Last of Us Part 2 since they will know it is coming in advance, like they knew that Sarah’s death would inevitably happen in The Last of Us’ pilot episode. But Joel’s death being as profound as it was made The Last of Us Part 2 as incredible as it is, and The Last of Us’ showrunners should not have to cast Abby with the fear of fan backlash in mind. Still, this interpretation may be dissociated from the source material enough for fans to not have as strong of an opinion toward Abby anyway.
If the second season arrives soon after the first season concludes, perhaps fans will not have the time to marinate in their adoration for Pedro Pascal’s Joel and not feel the same connection they had to him as the game established. Either way, the show is another opportunity for fans to reach a point of understanding with Abby’s actions and learn what her perspective is, rather than another opportunity for fans to decide they despise her and not attempt to comprehend why she may have killed Joel in the first place.
The Last of Us’ Show Can Set Up Its Season Two Twist Early
One way that The Last of Us’ HBO show can prepare fans subliminally to understand Abby’s point of view is including her in the first season. It is possible that Abby could already be cast, or at least have a younger Abby cast, and she could appear in the present day instead of a flashback.
This would mean that a scene would have to show Marlene, Abby, and Abby’s father Jerry at Saint Mary’s hospital before Joel and Ellie are brought there. Likewise, this would introduce viewers to Abby much earlier, leading to a cliffhanger in the final episode where Abby could learn Joel killed her father.
This decision could effectively withdraw any of the suspense and intrigue that Abby has in the beginning of The Last of Us Part 2, and could potentially blemish how the narrative is intended to be received as a result, but that may also make it more palatable for audiences. The gap between seasons would then be long enough to explain Abby’s muscle gains, and would give fans enough time to speculate about what her character development will look like in the following season if they do not already know.
The Last of Us debuts new episodes every Sunday night on HBO and HBO Max.