Craig Mazin and HBO’s The Last of Us seems to be prefer it’ll largely keep on with the story specified by developer Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, taking Joel and Ellie by means of a fungus-ravaged United States. But judging from the trailer, there’s at the least one main exception: Melanie Lynskey.

Monday’s The Last of Us teaser trailer additionally served as a casting announcement for Yellowjackets star Melanie Lynskey within the HBO sequence. She’s taking part in a personality named Kathleen, a “ruthless leader of a revolutionary movement in Kansas City,” an HBO consultant instructed Polygon. Joel and Ellie journey throughout an enormous portion of the nation within the video games — from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania, earlier than heading on to Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. Their journey throughout the center of the nation is essentially passed over within the recreation, however it sounds just like the HBO present will fill in a few of these gaps. Between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Jackson, Wyoming, it appears like Ellie and Joel can even go to Kansas City, Missouri.

If you’ve been following The Last of Us’ casting bulletins, this may not be information to you. HBO confirmed to IGN in early August that Henry (performed by Lamar Johnson) and Sam (Keivonn Woodard) — two notable characters from the sport — will encounter Ellie and Joel in Kansas City as a substitute of Pittsburgh, the unique location. At that point, HBO stated Sam and Henry have been “hiding from a revolutionary movement seeking vengeance,” and it seems to be like Lynskey’s Kathleen is the ringleader behind that group.

Usually after I’m considering The Last of Us, the phrase “revolutionary” is tied to the Fireflies, the group that fought oppressive authorities management and the Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA) within the nation’s quarantine zones. But Kathleen’s group sounds extra just like the Hunters, which have been mainly all of the anonymous dangerous guys within the recreation — and those that chase Ellie, Joel, Sam, and Henry round in that infamous armored truck.

My principle is that the HBO present will construct out this group a bit extra, making them really feel extra organized underneath Kathleen’s lead. Of course, that’s all hypothesis; I’m unsure we’ll get solutions there till a couple of episodes into The Last of Us’ 10-episode season, which premieres in 2023, HBO stated.