HBO has helped The Last of Us assemble an impressive lineup of high-profile actors. Beyond Pedro Pascal in the role of Joel, we’ve seen Jeffrey Wright as Isaac, Catherine O’Hara as Gail, and Nick Offerman as Frank—all while original game cast members have made appearances in various other roles. As Season 3 approaches, fans are curious about how the series will raise the bar, and we may now have an answer.
According to leaker Jeff Sneider, The Last of Us Season 3 has added Patrick Wilson—known for his work in Watchmen and Aquaman—in an unannounced role. What could this role be? Given that Season 3 is set to cover a specific segment of the game it’s based on, there’s an obvious candidate.
Season 2 of The Last of Us centered on Ellie (Bella Ramsey) losing her father figure Joel (Pedro Pascal) and embarking on a mission to find his killer, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). Since the season’s source material—The Last of Us Part II—alternates perspectives between Ellie and Abby, it’s safe to assume Season 3 will focus on Abby and her backstory.
A key part of that backstory—indeed, the sole driver of Abby’s hatred for Joel—is her father Jerry, a surgeon for the Fireflies when Ellie was taken to the operating table to be sacrificed for studying her immunity to the cordyceps plague. In his attempt to rescue Ellie, Joel shot the surgeons in the operating room, leaving Abby fatherless and determined to seek revenge.
Could this be Patrick Wilson’s role? It’s a pivotal part of Abby’s backstory that’s fitting for Wilson’s long and distinguished career, and he bears a resemblance to Kaitlyn Dever. The Last of Us has always been a strong platform for supporting performances—Nick Offerman even won an Emmy for his one-episode turn in Season 1—and Wilson could easily continue that trend.