The new season of The Last of Us will attempt to replicate a beloved season one episode with another obscure character from the video game series, this time featuring character actor Joe Pantoliano.
The second season will follow the events of the popular video game’s sequel, The Last of Us Part II, set five years after the events of The Last of Us.
Season one starred Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie, survivors of a deadly mass fungal infection that destroyed the world.
The first season won rave reviews, with an episode focusing on a gay love story between the characters Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) being called a “masterclass”.
The episode took fans of the series by surprise as Bill and Frank are relatively obscure figures from the first game, making the success of their stand-alone episode truly awe-inspiring.
The first season garnered 24 Emmy nominations and won eight awards, including Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Offerman.
Season two is now looking to repeat that type of adulation with another fleshed-out minor character - Eugene Linden.
According to Variety, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have cast The Matrix and Sopranos star Joe Pantoliano in the role.
Speaking on the idea to include Eugene in the show, Druckmann said: “I get excited when I see these opportunities. I’m like, ‘Oh, I don’t know Eugene that well!’ The story we told [in the game] was somewhat superficial. The way this character comes in really gets to the heart of Joel and Ellie and their relationship.”
Eugene is such a peripheral character in the second game that fans might not even recognise the name.
Eugene was a patrolman who lived in Jackson, Wyoming and was a member of the Fireflies with Tommy Miller. He formed a close friendship with Dina (played in the show by Isabela Merced) while living there but died from a stroke in 2038.
He’s only really introduced to players of the game when Ellie and Dina find his abandoned cannabis den. It remains to be seen how this otherwise minuscule story will be adapted into an entire episode of television.
The new season will also introduce new cast members including Kaitlyn Dever, Alanna Ubach, Ben Ahlers, Hettienne Park, Robert John Burke and Noah Lamanna.
The Last of Us season two begins April 14 on Sky Now and HBO Max.
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