Laura Bailey, who portrayed Abby in Part 2, has called Kaitlyn Dever “phenomenal” following The Last of Us’ second season.
The Last of Us Part 2 (the game) initially released back in 2020, and Bailey went on to win the Best Performance accolade at the Game Awards for her portrayal of Abby. Now, another actress has taken on the role, with Dever portraying Abby in HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation, which recently ended its second season.
“She’s just phenomenal, every moment that I saw that she was in, I just loved how much she brought to the character and made it her own,” Bailey said of Dever’s performance on the show.
Bailey likened seeing Dever on screen in The Last of Us season two as “like watching your child get up and start walking” for the first time. “Once you put it out there it’s somebody else’s and she’s just embraced it,” Bailey said.
She added she had recently had lunch with The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann, saying she told him “how happy [she] was with everything that [Dever] did” on the show. And it is not just Bailey who is evidently impressed by Dever’s take on Abby, with her portrayal in The Last of Us’ second season recently securing her an Emmy nomination.
Earlier this year, the series showrunners confirmed that Abby will return for season three of The Last of Us. One person who will not be returning to the show, though, is Druckmann, who earlier this month announced he was stepping away from HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation to bring his full attention back to Naughty Dog.
Reflecting on this change, Bella Ramsey – who plays Ellie on the show – has admitted this will be an adjustment for sure, but the series will still have Druckmann’s influence even though he won’t be “actively involved” in season three.
“The world of The Last of Us is his creation and so his voice and creative input,” Ramsey said during a recent conversation with Variety. “It doesn’t just go away in season three because he’s not as actively involved.” Ramsey added that, even if he isn’t on set, The Last of Us will “always” be Druckmann’s “creation”.
“And we’re always in everything that we do, honouring the game and Neil’s creation,” they closed. “He’ll definitely be missed on set. But his spirit is the story.”
Earlier this month, HBO confirmed the third season of The Last of Us is slated for release in 2027. While there had previously been chatter about a potential fourth season, the third may in fact be the last.
“[Showrunner Craig Mazin] is still working out whether it will be two more seasons or one more long season,” HBO’s CEO Casey Bloy said at the time. “It hasn’t been decided yet, and I’m following Craig’s lead on that.”