Summary
News aboutThe Last of Us’ first HBO series season was incredibly light up until it was already prepared to air, but now its second season seems ready to go into production with a paramount casting decision on the cusp of being officially revealed. If true, then Naughty Dog’s seminal IP may have a lot to celebrate in the near future withThe Last of Us’ nomination for Best Adaptation at The Game Awards 2023, where it’s also possible that more is shared about the multiple endeavors Naughty Dog has in the works right now.
However, the HBO adaptation has recently had a rumor spread about who is potentially in talks to star as Abby. It’s no debate that Abby is still one of the most controversial characters in gaming due to her role inThe Last of Us’ sequel, and knowing that the game’s whole toxic debacle might stir again when she appears in the TV show is enough reason for fans to be curious about who is cast. The rumor in question claims thatKaitlyn Dever may play Abby, and while she’s a terrific actress that would almost assuredly mean that Abby’s live-action portrayal misrepresents the character’s crucial physicality.
Abby’s Casting in The Last of Us Can’t Shy Away from Her Physique
Abby’s Physique is Integral to Her Character Development
It’s true that Dever could beautifully portrayThe Last of Us Part 2’s Abbyin her acting alone, but a significant part of Abby does rely on her being astonishingly muscular. The choice to make Abby bulkier isn’t arbitrary, either; she strengthens herself physically after her father is murdered so she can capably go out and exact her revenge in the way she deems appropriate, which turns out to be beating his murderer to death with a golf club.
The company Abby keeps is a militant organization of soldiers, as well, and her resources appear unlimited concerning how she could gain as much muscle mass as she has. That, married with the idea that she has a goal in mind as relentless as a plight Batman may wield, makes it believable that Abby could become as physically imposing as she is in the five years between bothLast of Usgames.
Abby’s Physique Controversy is a Reason Why It Demands Representation
Likewise,female physical representationis vitally important and denying Abby of that would seem like the creators attempting to correct the character’s original depiction. Unless Abby has another logical means of expressing her grief in the show’s second season that ties into her character well, it should still be of critical importance to give her an intimidating physicality. Perhaps the show will explain it away as her simply being a skilled fighter or marksman so that whoever plays Abby doesn’t require extensive bodybuilding in an unnatural and unhealthy amount of time before filming, which would be fair.
But as unreasonable as that casting demand sounds, it would still take a lot away from the character to strip Abby of her muscle mass and give people who detest Abby another reason to criticize her depiction in the game. The rumors of Dever’s casting might not end up being legitimate, and if they are true then she may be superb in the role regardless, butan Abby without defined musculaturewould be a tough pill to swallow and irreparably disrupt fans’ perceptions of the character.
The Last of Us
WHERE TO PLAY
Experience the emotional storytelling and unforgettable characters in The Last of Us, winner of over 200 Game of the Year awards. In a ravaged civilization, where infected and hardened survivors run rampant, Joel, a weary protagonist, is hired to smuggle 14-year-old Ellie out of a military quarantine zone. However, what starts as a small job soon transforms into a brutal cross-country journey. Includes the complete The Last of Us single-player story and celebrated prequel chapter, Left Behind, which explores the events that changed the lives of Ellie and her best friend Riley forever.
