The Last of Us’ Merle Dandridge is Reprising Her Role in the HBO Series

Dandridge played Fireflies leader Marlene in the game, and becomes the first actor from the source material to reprise her role in the TV adaptation.

With all the talent that’s attached to The Last of Us’ upcoming TV series on HBO, there’s quite a bit of excitement surrounding it, not least because series creator Neil Druckmann is also heavily involved with the project. Casting details on the series have been popping up of late, and now we know who will be playing another important character of the show.

As reported by Hollywood Reporter, Fireflies leader Marlene will be played in the HBO series by Merle Dandridge. That’s notable for a number of reasons, chief among them being that Dandridge also played Marlene in the game (and in its sequel). As the one who hires Joel for the smuggling job that sees him and Ellie trekking across the country, she’s obviously an important character in the story, and it’s great to see Dandridge returning to portray her character.

Dandridge joins a confirmed cast that includes Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, and Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Joel’s brother. No release date is currently known for The Last of Us’ HBO series.

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