The Last of Us Season 2 Casts Four Pivotal Characters From the Game

The Last of Us Season 2 has added four more actors to the cast: Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier), Ariela Barer (How to Blow Up a Pipeline, Runaways), Tati Gabrielle (YOU, Uncharted), and Spencer Lord (Riverdale).

Here's the breakdown of which characters from The Last of Us each actor is playing, per Variety: 

• Danny Ramirez "will play 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." 
• Ariela Barer is playing Mel, "a young doctor whose commitment to saving lives is challenged by the realities of war and tribalism."
• Tati Gabrielle is playing Nora "a military medic struggling to come to terms with the sins of her past." 
• Spencer Lord is listed to "appear" in the show as Owen, "a gentle soul trapped in a warrior's body, condemned to fight an enemy he refuses to hate."

These four latest additions will join The Last of Us TV series stars Pedro Pascal (Joel) and Bella Ramsey (Ellie), as well as a handful of previously-confirmed new cast members, including Isabela Merced (Madame Web) as Dina, Young Mazino (Netflix's Beef) as Jesse, and Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart) as Abby. Catherine O'Hara (Beetlejuice 2) will also appear in a mystery role.

The Last of Us Season 2 New Characters Explained

Without any SPOILERS, fans of The Last of Us: Part II video game will see the new character names above and realize just how pivotal these supporting characters will be. 

The HBO TV series is expected to expand upon the period and events between the first and second games, spreading the actual events of the second game across multiple seasons of TV. That means that viewers will likely get to know Manny, Mel, Nora, and Owen much better than they ever did in the games, which could be very necessary background and characterization before the show takes viewers to the dark places and big twists of the second game's story. 

Indeed, balancing perspective and screen time across an expanding cast of "primary characters" will be the trickiest feat for The Last of Us Season 2 (and Season 3) to pull off, to make The Last of Us: Part II work – at all – as a TV adaptation. HBO and showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann recognize the challenge because their casting continues to pull in some of the best breakout talent of the last few years – even in supporting or bit roles. 

The Last of Us Season 2 doesn't have a premiere date yet.