Want to hear more from the actors and creators of your favorite shows and films? Subscribe to The Cinema Spot on YouTube for all of our upcoming interviews!
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
Some weeks passed since our last update surrounding The Last of Us. Just hours ago, we received new details on the upcoming HBO action-adventure horror series. Lesley Goldberg of The Hollywood Reporter scored an exclusive scoop on the upcoming, highly anticipated series.
Details
Actress Merle Dandridge will reprise her role as Marlene from the video game series.
Marlene is the leader of the Fireflies, an organization striving for freedom against the oppressive military regime. In the first game, she tasks Joel Miller (Troy Baker) with returning young girl, Ellie (Ashley Johnson), to the Fireflies in another part of the United States. In a twisted turn of events, she is killed by Miller while trying to rescue Ellie from the operation table. He and the girl created a bond during the game while learning she is immune from a virus stemming from the Cordyceps fungus.
The character appears in a smaller role in the sequel, The Last of Us Part II.
Dandridge is a Korean-African American actress and singer who was born in Okinawa, Japan. She has appeared in various television shows, stage plays, and video games. This includes FX’s Sons of Anarchy, HBO Max’s The Flight Attendant, and the Valve first-person shooter, Half-Life 2. She also has a role in another Naughty Dog’s video game, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.
Background Information on Sony, PlayStation, and Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Video Game
The Last of Us is about a man named Joel during a post-apocalyptic world who tragically lost his biological daughter Sarah at the onset of the Cordyceps fungus outbreak. Twenty years later, he has become a full-fledged killer and transports Ellie to the Fireflies. The two meet his brother, Tommy Miller (Jeffrey Pierce) in Jackson, Wyoming, where he has established his own community. Ultimately, Joel risks his own life to save hers and puts the fate of the whole world at stake. In this process, Joel and Ellie form a potent bond as adoptive father and daughter while facing human and transhuman evils.
In the second game, young members of the Fireflies go out on a revenge spree against Joel. Ellie and Tommy try to fight Abby (Laura Bailey) in the process. In the end, friends on both sides are affected by the feud.
Background Information on HBO’s The Last of Us Adaptation
Dandridge joins a major cast currently consisting of Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, and Gabriel Luna. These latter three actors will portray the live-action roles of Joel Miller, Ellie, and Tommy Miller, respectively. The Last of Us television adaptation series is reportedly scheduled to film from July 2021 to June 2022.
Last summer, The Last of Us Part II was met with great critical responses with its human themes on LGBTQ+ representation, father-daughter relationships, and trauma. HBO greenlit production on the television adaptation this past November, with Craig Mazin (Scary Movie 3, 4, Superhero Movie, The Hangover Part II, III, and Emmy Award-winning Chernobyl) writing and executively producing alongside Naughty Dog president Neil Druckmann. Kantemir Balagov will reportedly direct the series pilot.
Are you excited to see this series? Let us know! For more HBO, Sony Pictures, horror, and action-related news and reviews, follow The Cinema Spot on Twitter (@TheCinemaSpot) and Instagram (@thecinemaspot_). We are also now on Facebook (TheCinemaSpotFB)!
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
