The Last of Us series has arguably found its Abby, and according to the showrunner, the choice should surprise you

The cast of Abby could still cause controversy.

“We have a pretty good track record of announcing big casts that have people going ‘really?’,” recalls The Last of Us series showrunner Craig Mazin in an interview – and immediately afterwards teases that the most important cast changeover in Season 2 could come back just the same. Mazin hasn’t dropped the name yet, but made an interesting statement that should rule out a fan request.

Mazin about the Abby actress

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter magazine, the cast issue that has been bothering fans even before Season 1 comes up: “Have you found your Abby?” The showrunner initially responds with an evasive “Maybe” and laughs.

Mazin does not contradict the assumption that this is a “yes”, but continues to avoid a very binding answer and, above all, a name. Instead, he points out that Abby was the first role the team wanted to cast for Season 2, but was delayed by the industry strike.

The showrunner then hints that the cast could be amazing again, and while some people might object, he and his team believe they always made the right choice of actors.

With this, Mazin alludes to the criticism that was raised especially in the run-up to the series regarding the Ellie cast. Fans of the games were bothered by the fact that actress Bella Ramsey bears little resemblance to the well-known character. However, Ramsey has received critical acclaim for her performance and interpretation of the role.

Actress Merle Dandridge teased us about seeing Marlene again in Season 2 in the GamePro interview:

What could this mean for the Abby cast?

Based on Mazin’s statement, we can assume that Abby, like Ellie, could also deviate visually from her video game role model. It’s quite possible that the casting was also more focused on credibility in the role instead of finding the most exact match possible.

Colleague Eleen explains in this article what Season 2 generally has to do with regard to Abby:

At the same time, this suggests that we are unlikely to see a candidate who has already been rumored about as Abby. On social media, fans had wished to see Shannon Berry (also known from the teen survival series “The Wilds”) in the role.

The visual similarity between the video game character and the actress was particularly pointed out. This, combined with Mazin’s testimony, makes it pretty unlikely that Berry was actually cast. However, this is only speculation until the official announcement. Until we know more, we still have to be patient.

What do you think: Who could slip into the role of Abby after this ominous statement? Maybe you even have a wish that goes with Mazin’s statement?