HBO’s ‘The Last Of Us’ Series Taps Merle Dandridge To Reprise Role As Marlene From Original Game
At least one character in HBO’s TV adaptation of the acclaimed video gameThe Last of Uswill sound exactly the same. That would be Marlene, whose actress from the original video gameMerle Dandridgehas been cast to reprise the role for the high-profile TV series. She’ll be joining a cast that includes Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsay, and Gabriel Luna.
The Hollywood Reporterbroke the news that Merle Dandridge will reprise her role as Marlene, which she originated inThe Last of Usvideo game, in the HBO TV adaptation. Dandridge’s Marlene is the leader of the Fireflies, “a resistance movement struggling for freedom against an oppressive military regime” who are key to the plot.
This is the first instance of a voice actor fromThe Last of Usvideo game reprising their role for the live-action series — and indeed, it’s a super rare instance of an actor making the transition from the sound booth to the live-action realm. ThoughThe Last of Uswould be the adaptation best suited for that transition, as the game used motion capture technology, with the actors performing the movements in addition to the voices of their characters.
And while Dandridge may be best known for her voice acting, she’s no stranger to acting in front of the camera. Her credits includeMurphy Brown, Apple’sTruth Be Told, Sons of Anarchy, Still Star-CrossedandThe Night Shift, and she’s worked with WarnerMedia before, starring as Kim Hammond in HBO Max’sThe Flight Attendant.
Created byChernobylcreatorCraig MazinandNeil Druckman,The Last of Usis a highly anticipated adaptation of the Sony Playstation franchise that swept the video game world in 2013 and pushed the boundaries for cinematic video game storytelling.The Last of Usis a “tale of the post-apocalypse, centering on the relationship between Joel, a smuggler in this new world, and Ellie, a teenager who may be key to a cure for a deadly pandemic. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle the 14-year-old girl out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey as they traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.”
Pedro PascalandBella Ramseyare set to star in the series as Joel and Ellie, respectively, in a story that takes place “twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed.” Luna plays Tommy, Joel’s younger brother.
No premiere date has yet been set forThe Last of Us.
