Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin announce The Last of Us Season 2's Dina

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Isabela Merced (Madame Web, Dora and the Lost City of Gold) is Dina in HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2. Series co-creators Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann made the announcement in a brief statement, following earlier reveals over the last few days of Kaitlyn Dever (Ticket to Paradise, Rosaline) as Abby and Young Mazino (Beef) as Jesse, one of Dina’s love interests and a friend to Ellie.

HBO’s official description calls Dina “a free-wheeling spirit whose devotion to Ellie will be tested by the brutality of the world they inhabit.” In The Last of Us Part 2, Dina accompanies Ellie to Seattle after a tragedy in the pair’s Jackson, Wyoming home, but she hides a secret from Ellie for much of their adventure together.

Dina might have a minor, passive role in The Last of Us Part 2 compared to Ellie and Abby, as she takes part in almost none of the action, but she plays an important part in Ellie’s character development and in driving the narrative in general.

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“Dina is warm, brilliant, wild, funny, moral, dangerous and instantly lovable,” Mazin and Druckmann said. “You can search forever for an actor who effortlessly embodies all of those things, or you can find Isabela Merced right away. We couldn’t be prouder to have her join our family.”

Merced debuted in the Nickelodeon show 100 Things to Do Before High School before landing roles in large films like Transformers: The Last Knight and Sicario: Day of the Soldado. She played the title character in Dora and the Lost City of Gold, which is the last role she’s been credited for under her birth name of Isabela Moner, and was one of the two lead characters in Sweet Girl alongside Jason Momoa.

The Last of Us Season 2 enters production in February 2024 and is expected to air in 2025.

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