‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Adds Danny Ramirez, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle and Spencer Lord

Danny Ramirez, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle and Spencer Lord are joining HBO’s highly-anticipated “The Last of Us” Season 2 cast in key roles from the Naughty Dog video game franchise’s sequel.

Ramirez (“Top Gun: Maverick”) will portray Manny, a loyal soldier whose sunny outlook belies the pain of old wounds and a fear that he will fail his friends when they need him most. Barer (“How to Blow Up a Pipeline”) will play Mel, a young doctor whose commitment to saving lives is challenged by the realities of war and tribalism.

Gabrielle (“You”) has been cast as Nora, a military medic struggling to come to terms with the sins of her past. Lord (“Heartland”) will take on the role of Owen, a gentle soul trapped in a warrior’s body, condemned to fight an enemy he refuses to hate.

“The Last of Us” takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.

Season 2, which began filming in February, will focus on the events of “The Last of Us: Part II,” which takes place five years after Joel and Ellie’s dangerous journey across the post-pandemic United States, where the pair has settled down in Jackson, Wyoming.

“Living amongst a thriving community of survivors has allowed them peace and stability, despite the constant threat of the infected and other, more desperate survivors,” the game’s synopsis states. “When a violent event disrupts that peace, Ellie embarks on a relentless journey to carry out justice and find closure.”

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will return in Season 2 as Joel and Ellie, respectively. Other new cast members in Season 2 include Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Young Mazino as Jesse, Isabela Merced as Dina and Catherine O’Hara in a currently undisclosed role.

HBO has not yet set a premiere date but the show isn’t expected to debut until 2025.

Season 2 of “The Last of Us” is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. Other executive producers include Carolyn Strauss, Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O’Connor, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Evan Wells.

Mazin and Druckmann will return to direct, as will Peter Hoar, who was nominated for an Emmy for Season 1’s third episode, “Long, Long Time.” New director additions include Mark Mylod (“Succession), Nina Lopez-Corrado (“Perry Mason”), Stephen Williams (“Watchmen”) and Kate Herron (“Loki”).

The series is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television. Other producers include PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog.

Ramirez is repped by CAA, Anonymous Content, Viewpoint and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, Gellman, Meigs & Fox, L.L.P. Barer is repped by Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment, Verve Talent and Literary Agency and Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson McGinnis Ryan. Gabrielle is repped by CAA, manager Deidre Graham and attorney Darrell Miller, Esquire of FoxRothschild. Lord is repped by RED Management.

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