Jeffrey Wright to Reprise His The Last of Us Part II Role for Season 2 of HBO Show – IGN

HBO’s The Last of Us has added another high-profile actor to its cast – but this time, there’s some overlap with the games.

Jeffrey Wright is joining The Last of Us Season 2 as Isaac, the same character he played in Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II. As HBO describes, Isaac is “the quietly powerful leader of a large militia group who sought liberty but instead has become mired in an endless war against a surprisingly resourceful enemy.”

This isn’t the first time HBO has brought in an actor from the video games to reprise their role. Season 1 saw Merle Dandridge come back to play Marlene, the character she originated in the first game (you can read my deep-dive with Dandridge about the experience here). Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, who played Joel and Ellie in the games respectively, also appeared in Season 1, but not as the characters they played in Naughty Dog’s series (Abby actress Laura Bailey also had a brief cameo in the finale).

Wright is known for far more than The Last of Us, however, with a number of high-profile roles over his long career. Those include another HBO hit drama, Westworld, for which he earned three Emmy nominations, as well as playing James Gordon in The Batman and appearing in Wes Anderson films Asteroid City and the French Dispatch. Most recently, he earned his first Oscar nomination for his lead role in last year’s American Fiction, which IGN handed a 10/10 in our review.

Wright is the latest addition to the cast of The Last of Us Season 2, which has been gradually filling out over the past few months. He joins fellow new cast members Danny Ramirez (Manny), Ariela Barer (Mel), Tati Gabrielle (Nora), Spencer Lord (Nel), Catherine O’Hara (secret role), Young Mazino (Jesse), and Isabela Merced, who’ll take on the key role of Dina. The most-anticipated new casting, however, was no doubt Abby, one of the protagonists of The Last of Us Part II, which went to Kaitlyn Dever.

Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, meanwhile, will return as Ellie and Joel respectively. HBO released the first official images of the two of them in Season 2 earlier this month (although a bevy of leaked set photos have also given us a glimpse into the highly anticipated follow-up).

HBO hasn’t revealed an official release date for The Last of Us Season 2, but it’s expected sometime in 2025. In the meantime, read our 9/10 review of Season 1.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.