The Last of Us HBO: fans think The Wilds’ actor Shannon Berry could be Abby in tv series

Internet sleuths think they may have spotted a key casting decision for a potential second series of The Last of Us.

HBO’s new series has not been renewed beyond its first season so far, however it had the channel’s second biggest debut in 13 years behind only House of the Dragon - a prequel to Game of Thrones. Showrunners Craig Maizin and Neil Druckmann have talked about wanting to return for future seasons.

The show is based on the critically acclaimed and best-selling PlayStation video game The Last of Us, first released in 2013. The first season is adapting the whole story from the first game.

Naughty Dog, the studio behind the series, published a sequel in 2020 - The Last of Us Part Two - and the showrunners have talked about adapting it for future seasons. Maizin hinted at wanting to split the game, which is longer than the original, across two seasons.

Fans think they may have worked out a potential key casting if The Last of Us is renewed, speculating that Shannon Berry could be stepping into the role of Abby.

Who is Abby?

Introduced in The Last of Us Part Two, she is a key character in the game. She plays a driving role in the narrative in the sequel and would likely play a huge role in future seasons of the HBO series, if it is renewed.

We don’t want to expand too much on Abby to avoid spoilers.

Who could be playing Abby?

Fans think that The Wilds’ actor Shannon Berry might have been cast as Abby. Internet sleuths discovered that Berry is following Neil Druckmann, Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey and the official Last of Us HBO account on Instagram.

The eager investigators also note that Berry is followed by Druckmann. Following the release of The Last of Us Part Two in 2020, Berry even tweeted: “ok I’ve seen too many people now say I look like Abby from the last of us and wow they’re kind of right.”

The Last of Us has not been renewed for a second series by HBO as of 22 January, so for the current time it is all simply speculation.

How can I watch The Last of Us in the UK?

The Last of Us’ first episode was released in the US on HBO and streaming service HBO Max on Sunday 15 January. The series will arrive a day later in the UK.

The show will technically be released at the same moment on both sides of the pond - but because of time differences it will land in the UK at 2am on Mondays on Sky Atlantic.

How many episodes in The Last of Us season 1?

There will be 9 episodes in the first season of the HBO series. It began on 15 January in the US (16 January in the UK) and the finale will air on 12 March (13 March in the UK).

It has not yet been renewed for future episodes, but posted strong debut numbers after the premiere.