HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation has cast yet another pivotal character from the original video games’ universe. According to Deadline, Storm Reid will play Riley Abel in the highly-anticipated TV series.
Riley was first mentioned by Ellie in the original Last of Us in 2013. But a year later, she made her proper debut in The Last of Us: Left Behind DLC expansion, part of which took place three weeks before the events of the base game. She was introduced as Ellie’s best friend who ran away from their military school in Boston to join the Firefly militia. The DLC showed Ellie and Riley spending the day together and surviving inside an abandoned mall. However, the expansion is probably best known for confirming Ellie’s sexuality. Upon its release, the kiss between the two characters was praised as a watershed moment for the video game industry.
Reid currently appears on HBO’s Euphoria, which returned for its second season last Sunday. DC fans might also recognize her from playing Bloodsport’s daughter in The Suicide Squad last year. Some of Reid’s other big screen credits include The Invisible Man and A Wrinkle in Time. Deadline notes that she will “guest star” on The Last of Us rather than be as a series regular. Because of this, it seems likely that her character will only appear in flashbacks or photographs.
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Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are headlining The Last of Us as Joel and Ellie, respectively. Craig Mazin is writing the 10-episode first season alongside Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann. Filming began last summer with Kantemir Balagov directing the pilot episode. Since then, the cast has expanded to include Gabriel Luna, Merle Dandridge, Anna Torv, Nick Offerman, and Nico Parker.
HBO still hasn’t announced a premiere date for The Last of Us.
How do you feel about Reid playing Riley on the upcoming series? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!
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