Things are really ramping up in The Last of Us’s world. Just days ago, news broke that Kaitlyn Dever is officially playing Abby in the second season of the videogame adaptation. And now two more characters have been cast: Young Mazino (Beef) as Jesse, and Isabela Merced (Madame Web) as Dina—who plays a central role, especially for Ellie (Bella Ramsey)
According to Variety, Dina is “a free-wheeling spirit whose devotion to Ellie will be tested by the brutality of the world they inhabit.” Series co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann say she’s “warm, brilliant, wild, funny, moral, dangerous and instantly lovable,” which is quite a combination.
But game players know what these sentences aren’t quite saying, and just how important she is to Ellie.
Merced’s film credits include Transformers: The Last Knight, but her most visible roles are yet to come: She’s Anya Corazon in Madame Web, above, and will be Superman: Legacy‘s Hawkgirl.
As for Jesse, he’s “a pillar of his community who puts everyone else’s needs before his own, sometimes at terrible cost,” according to Variety. Mazino is currently an Emmy nominee for his work on the miniseries Beef, in which he plays the younger brother of Steven Yuen’s character.
The Last of Us is created and showrun by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. The second season begins production next month.
