The Last of Us casts original game actor Merle Dandridge in TV show
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The Last of Us has added an original star from the video game to the upcoming TV adaptation, having cast Marlene voice actress Merle Dandridge as the live-action version too.
Dandridge voiced Firefly leader Marlene in both the original 2013 video game and its 2020 sequel and she will now develop the character further in HBO's upcoming drama series, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed.
Marlene is a pivotal character in the game, being the leader of the resistance movement Fireflies, who fight against the rule of the military within quarantine zones in order to restore a government following the outbreak of the Cordyceps Brain Infection and its decimation of mankind.
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When first introduced, she is also a mother figure to 14-year-old Ellie, who will be played by Game of Thrones star Bella Ramsey in the series.
Dandridge has previously starred in Sons of Anarchy, The Night Shift and The Flight Attendant, and she also has extensive experience in video game voice acting having starred in the Half-Life series and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
The Last of Us focuses on survivor Joel Miller (The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal), who lost his own daughter Sarah during the initial outbreak, and his bond with Ellie after Marlene hires him to smuggle Ellie, who is immune to the infection, out of a quarantine zone.
Gabriel Luna will also star in the series as Tommy, Joel's younger brother and a former Firefly.
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The series will be written by Chernobyl writer Craig Mazin and The Last of Us game writer and creative director Neil Druckmann, while the pair will also executive produce. Jasmila Zbanic and Ali Abbasi are set to direct the series.
An air date for The Last of Us has not been revealed by HBO.
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