After yesterday’s speculation , now there is confirmation: Storm Reid will play Riley Abel in The Last of Us , an HBO series based on the acclaimed Naughty Dog video game .
This was announced by the young American actress with a post on twitter, saying she was “more than thrilled” to have entered the cast of the show. “2022 already looks bright,” says Reid , who also posted concept art for the character. As fans know, Riley is a friend of Ellie who is only mentioned in the first game, but appears in the Left Behind DLC . His death plays an important role in the protagonist’s story.
Storm Reid is best known for Euphoria , but has also appeared in various very popular films such as 12 Years a Slave, A Wrinkle in Time, The Invisible Man and The Suicide Squad .
The creator of the series is Craig Mazin ( Chernobyl , Borderlands ), who will integrate some ideas cut from the video game, thus maintaining a certain coherence with the source. Not surprisingly, game author Neil Druckman is involved as a co-director and co-writer.
You can see the concept art below.
The tweet
I got some NEWS 🚨 Beyond excited to join the cast of #TheLastOfUs as Riley on @HBO. Let’s get to work. 🎬 2022 looking bright already 🕺🏽 pic.twitter.com/A1O9tg4Lna
— Storm Reid (@stormreid) January 14, 2022
The plot
The Last of Us is set twenty years after the fall of modern civilization, when a fungal parasite infects humans and turns them into monsters. Joel , a man hardened by the will to survive, is hired to escort 14-year-old Ellie out of an oppressive quarantine zone. It should be a simple job, but it quickly becomes a dangerous and brutal journey: together, Joel and Ellie must traverse what’s left of the United States and rely on each other to escape death.
The cast
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will lend faces to Joel and Ellie . Gabriel Luna will be Tommy , Joel ‘s brother. Merle Dandridge will play Marlene , as she already did in the video game. Nico Parker will lend his face to Sarah , Joel ‘s daughter. Also starring Jeffrey Pierce ( Perry ), Murray Bartlett ( Frank ), Nick Offerman ( Bill ), Anna Torv ( Tess) and Storm Reid ( Riley ). Natasha Mumba will play Kim Tembo , an original character.
The authors of the series
The series is conceived by Craig Mazin , creator of Chernobyl and screenwriter of various Hollywood comedies ( Superhero Movie, I am you, Scary Movie 3 and 4 , the sequels to The Hangover ). Mazin will write and produce The Last of Us with Neil Druckman , author of the video game. The pilot episode will be directed by Kantemir Balagov , native director of the Autonomous Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, winner of the FIPRESCI award at Cannes for his debut film, Closeness .
The direction
Directors will include Jasmila Žbanić ( Esma’s Secret, The Path ), Ali Abbasi ( Shelley, Border ), Peter Hoar ( Daredevil ) and Neil Druckman himself , creator of the game. The pilot was directed by Kantemir Balagov ( Tesnota, The Autumn Girl ).