Posted in: HBO, Opinion, TV, TV | Tagged: aew, HBO, impact wrestling, katee sackhoff, ronda rousey, the last of us, wwe

The Last of Us Season 2: Some Casting Thoughts on Part II's Abby

With HBO renewing The Last of Us, the big question for Season 2 and beyond is who should be cast as Abby. Here's who we're nominating...

When HBO announced the renewal of their latest biggest hit in The Last of Us, questions naturally turned to who can play Part II's Abby Anderson, voiced by Laura Bailey in the 2020 Naughty Dog PlayStation game. Abby is the secondary protagonist after Ellie, played by Ashley Johnson in the game and Bella Ramsey in the TV series. Part II takes place years after the original game as both Joel, played by Troy Baker in the game and Pedro Pascal in the series, and Ellie face the aftermath of his actions. Following Abby's actions as a member of the Washington Liberation Front, Ellie sets out for revenge. Here are my picks.

The Last of Us: Abby Candidates

The biggest TV action star who would look the part is Katee Sackhoff, who likely could pull off the strong female militaristic archetype given her biggest claim to fame in SyFy's Battlestar Galactica remake. She's also building on her notoriety with another signature sci-fi role in Bo-Katan Kryze in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian. The problem is, as much as she's probably the most marketable to match the hype and star power of the series, not to mention she'd be briefly reunited with her Mandalorian co-star in Pascal, is that she would be playing a character 20 years younger than the actress herself. There's no doubt she can pull the role off, but it feels like a more age-appropriate actress looking for a breakout role should be ideal. I know people will bring up Merle Dandridge reprising her role as Marlene from the 2013 games, but I'd also argue that age doesn't define Marlene the character as it does for Abby.

The second choice is WWE's Ronda Rousey, who more than matches the toughness and star power with her action/fight credibility, given her MMA, martial arts, and pro-wrestling accolades. With the proper script & guidance, she could shine, but it depends if she can meet the range the role requires. It could be the kind of break-out role beyond the typecast roles she's regularly cast in.

While on the subject of pro wrestling, my third choice is a more muscular female wrestler, given Abby's physical frame. While there's always risk in having a greener actor, all of the talents that I have in mind have some form of experience being on camera and cutting promos. It's shameful in 2020, people (mostly men), are largely still shaming women if they ever dare decide to bulk up. Aside from the nonsensical commentary and hypocrisy between acceptances of body perception between the genders, we need to normalize the fact that people come in all shapes and sizes, especially as leads in media. Off the top of my head, I can see WWE's Zoey Stark, Ivy Nile, and B-Fab; AEW's Jade Cargill and Jamie Hayter; and Impact Wrestling's Jordynne Grace.

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