The Last of Us has revealed the identity of Rutina Wesley’s character, with the True Blood actress being cast in the role of Maria.
As reported by Entertainment Weekly, the actress, who appeared as Tara Thornton on the vampire show, will play Tommy’s (Gabriel Luna) wife; Wesley's casting was announced last month, but the identity of her character has only just been revealed.
Maria appeared in both the original game and its sequel, hinting that Wesley could have a long-term future on the HBO show. In the first game, Maria runs a settlement in Jackson, Wyoming with the help of Tommy, who is Joel's brother.
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The series, which has been developed by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, follows the journey of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they travel across a post-apocalyptic US.
The first season has mixed elements of the first game with new plot developments, with Mazin recently speaking about the choices when it came to adapting the material.
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“Ultimately, adaptation is all about choices. And we can talk until our faces turn blue about how we make those choices,” he said. “And there's a lot of maths to it. But for me, what it always came back to was, 'What do I love?' What, as a fan, would I be hurt if I didn't see it in the show?
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“And what do I think we would absolutely have to change to adapt to a medium that is passive, that isn't interactive, that doesn't require gameplay,” he continued. “And what are the things that we can be inspired by and adjust and just let ourselves be creative, but always within the bounds of 'what do we love'?”
Druckmann, who wrote both games in the series, added: “We did deviate, but not to surprise the audience. We knew that would happen organically as we just kind of adapt this from one medium to another.”
The first season, which consists of nine episodes, has received critical acclaim so far, with the performances and writing being singled out by reviewers.
The Last of Us will premiere January 15 on HBO in US, and January 16 on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.
