While Naughty Dog is considered a prestigious game development studio in its own right thanks to the quality of its past several releases, the studio has also been making friends in the larger world thanks to HBO’s live-action adaptation of The Last of Us. Among these is actor Tony Dalton, who is known for portraying characters like Lalo Salamanca in Better Call Saul and Jack Duquesne in various MCU projects. Dalton will also be appearing in Naughty Dog’s next title, Intergalactic.
In an interview with Culture Wave Media, Dalton discussed having worked with director Neil Druckmann on The Last of Us adaptation, where he played Joel’s father, and how the latter expressed interest in continuing to work with the actor. This resulted in Dalton’s role in Intergalactic, which also happens to be the first time he will be in a game.
Describing the process, Dalton said it was “like nothing I’ve ever done in my life,” pointing out all the advanced technology used to capture his likeness and mannerisms through motion capture suits.
“It’s crazy. It’s like nothing I’ve ever done in my life. These guys are top of the line. You put on these skin-tight suits with dots all over the place–all over your face and everything. They have a whole set. Huge, huge set. It’s amazing,” Dalton said.
While what character Dalton will be portraying in Intergalactic is currently unknown, in the interview, he noted that Druckmann’s pitch referred to his character as being “one of the leads”. On working with Druckmann, Dalton said that he is “the sweetest guy in the world. He’s great.”
Voice actor Troy Baker had also previously spoken about working with Druckmann, and how the two often butt heads with each other because of the passion they feel for the project.
“We did two weeks ago, man. Neil and I will always, it’s our vibe,” said Baker in November. “We just love to butt up against each other. We were doing a table read, and I was literally like, ‘Why are you giving me s*** right now? I’m asking you a question!’ And everybody else is like, ‘Our mom and dad are fighting, are we still going to Disneyland?’ We’re fine. We’re fine!”
Little has been revealed about Intergalactic since it was first unveiled all the way back in 2024. Druckmann has, however, described it as being the studio’s “most ambitious” project so far.
“We’re making it, we’re playing it. We’re firing on all cylinders. I’ve said this before, but I really mean it, I’m really feeling it right now: It’s the most ambitious game we’ve ever made. It’s the most expansive game we’ve ever made, maybe the most expensive, by the time we finish it.”
While the studio has been largely quiet, reports have indicated it may be falling behind schedule. One noted that the development team has been working eight more hours each week since October. This overtime work is because the project has “several missed deadlines”, and the team is trying to “get the production back on track”.
A more recent report has indicated that Naughty Dog might be aiming for a mid-2027 release for Intergalactic on PS5.
