The actor who voiced Abby in The Last of Us Part II is joining the HBO series, and she is not playing Abby. Laura Bailey has been cast in The Last of Us season 3 as Elizabeth, one of the leaders of the Seraphites, and John Goodman arrives alongside Ian Alexander as a pair of survivors billed as the Heroes of the Highway.
HBO put the three names out over the weekend. Goodman plays Joey and Alexander plays Paco. Bailey’s Elizabeth sits near the top of the Seraphites, the religious faction that turns the Seattle half of the story into a war with two fronts.
The Game Cast Is Back Under Different Names
Alexander voiced Lev in Part II and Bailey voiced Abby, the two performances that carry the back half of that game. On television those roles belong to Kyriana Kratter and Kaitlyn Dever. Putting Bailey in Seraphite robes, on the opposite side of the war from the character she originated, is the sharpest casting decision this season has made so far.
Goodman Keeps Turning Up in Genre Work
Goodman has spent a decade quietly walking off with horror and monster pictures, from 10 Cloverfield Lane to Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. He also signed this summer to Skeletons, JT Mollner’s horror film with Brie Larson and Kyle Gallner, which we covered in July. A friendly duo with a nickname for themselves is, in this show, a setup rather than a comfort.
Season Three Is Already Shooting
Principal photography began March 2 in British Columbia under the working title Calm Current and is scheduled to wrap November 27. The season premieres on HBO in 2027, and chairman Casey Bloys has said it is being planned as the show’s last. Craig Mazin is running it alone after Neil Druckmann stepped away to stay at Naughty Dog.
The rest of the bench is already deep. Patrick Wilson plays Jerry, which means the lead of Insidious and The Conjuring is playing the surgeon whose death starts the revenge cycle, and Jeffrey Wright returns as Isaac Dixon from the game. Season two left Joel dead and Abby standing over him. Season three hands the story to her, and Elizabeth’s people are the ones who decide how far it goes.
