An actor from The Last Of Us will portray the same character in HBO’s forthcoming adaptation of the hit game. Merle Dandridge, best known for her role as Marlene, the leader of the Fireflies based in Utah, will reprise her role for the TV show, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter.
Marlene plays a central role in The Last Of Us, introducing Joel to Ellie, and in the process brokering a deal with him to smuggle her out of a quarantine zone in Boston and across the country to the Fireflies.
Dandridge’s other television roles include stints in 24, Sons Of Anarchy, and The Flight Attendant. Dandridge has collaborated with Neil Druckmann on Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and had a minor cameo in The Last Of Us Part II.
Casting is well underway for HBO’s adaptation of The Last Of Us. In February, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey were cast as Joel and Ellie. While both previously starred in Game of Thrones, Pascal is most recently known for his titular role in The Mandalorian.
Two months later, Gabriel Luna was cast as Tommy. Luna is best known for his work in Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, Terminator: Dark Fate, and the True Detective anthology series.
The adaptation of Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed post-pandemic game is scheduled to begin filming in Calgary, Canada, from July 5, wrapping almost a year later on June 8, 2022. The adaptation may not premiere until mid-2023 at the earliest.
The Last of Us TV series will be based on the events from Naughty Dog’s critically acclaimed post-pandemic title, charting a dangerous trek across what remains of the US as Joel smuggles an immune 14-year old Ellie to a military group, the Fireflies, in a bid to create a vaccine for the Cordyceps virus.
