Who Is Kaitlyn Dever, the Rumored Abby in HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2?

The Last of Us Season 2 might have found an important addition to its cast. The first season was so successful, it won the title for Best Adaptation at The Game Awards 2023 event. And the next season is expected to deliver a similar and outstanding experience. It will follow the story of Naughty Dog’s 2020 blockbuster video game TLOU Part II. However, there is one looming question: who will play Abby, the second protagonist introduced in The Last of Us Part II?

Abby was pivotal to the main story in the second game. Despite all the backlash, she turned into a popular character in the PlayStation franchise. And now, she’s going to appear in the live-action TV series as well. Interestingly, the name of the actress rumored to portray Abby on the screen has also surfaced recently on the internet. She’s none other than the ‘Unbelievable’ star, Kaitlyn Dever, who has also previously featured in another Naughty Dog project.

Everything to know about Kaitlyn Dever who might play Abby in The Last of Us Season 2

American actress Kaitlyn Rochelle Dever initially received recognition for her roles in FX’s crime drama TV series ‘Justified.’ Running from 2011 to 2015, the show had six seasons and they were all well-received by the audience and critics. Prior to Justified, however, she had played various roles in shows like ‘An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong’, ‘Make It or Break It’, ‘Modern Family’, ‘Private Practice’, ‘Party Down’, ‘Cinema Verite’, and ‘The Mentalist’. Kaitlyn also appeared in ABC/Fox sitcom ‘Last Man Standing’ that ran for a decade from 2011 to 2021.

But it was 2019’s Netflix miniseries ‘Unbelievable’ that brought Kaitlyn Dever into the spotlight. Following the show’s premiere in September, it went onto impress viewers and critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has still got a stellar score of 98 percent based on 84 reviews. Critics were also highly impressed with Kaitlyn’s performance as Marie Adler.

Eventually, Kaitlyn bagged a Golden Globe nomination for her role in ‘Unbelievable’ in the category of Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film. Moreover, she also received a BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination.

The year 2019 proved to be outstanding for Kaitlyn as her performance in the movie titled Booksmart was also praised by critics. Directed by Olivia Wilde, the film has got a fantastic rating of 96 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 377 reviews. For her role of Amy Antsler, Kaitlyn had even received a BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination.

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Since 2020, the actress has mostly appeared in leading roles. In 2021, she featured in Hulu’s miniseries called Dopesick. The eight-episode drama series received mostly positive reviews. Most importantly, the cast members, including Kaitlyn, received praise for her character of Betsy Mellum. As a result, she eventually bagged a Golden Globe nomination under the category of Best Supporting Actress in a Series/Miniseries or Television Film.

Now, while rumors are floating around about her casting as Abby, she has actually had a video game role in the past. And fun fact; it was with a Naughty Dog project. Remember the Uncharted series?

Kaitlyn Dever made her video game debut with Uncharted 4

On a side note, Kaitlyn Dever had also made her gaming appearance with 2016’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. She provided the voice and motion capture performance for Cassie Drake, the daughter of series protagonist Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher. Cassie was a minor playable character in the game’s epilogue. In the epilogue, Cassie explored the beach house and found some of the treasures and objects that were call backs to the previous games. A nice, heart-warming way to wrap up the series.

With the rumors over Kaitlyn’s appearance in Season 2 of The Last of Us going strong, it seems like she will do justice to Abby’s character given her stupendous record as an actress. While there’s still no official word from the showrunners, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, insiders believe that an announcement might be on its way soon.

The main reason to believe this speculation is because Season 2 will officially start filming from February 12, 2024. Hence, the makers will likely drop the names of all the cast members before the production begins. Hopefully, we will get an update very soon.

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