“Beef” breakout star Young Mazino will portray Jesse in the highly anticipated “The Last of Us” Season 2 for HBO.
Jesse, a key character from the Naughty Dog video game franchise’s sequel, is described as “a pillar of his community who puts everyone else’s needs before his own, sometimes at terrible cost.”
“Young is one of those rare actors who is immediately undeniable the moment you see him,” co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann said in a statement. “We’re so lucky to have him, and we can’t wait for the audience to see Young shine in our show.”
Mazino is repped by UTA, M88, Jackoway Austen Tyerman and Narrative.
The first season of HBO’s “The Last of Us” takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
Season 2, which will begin filming on Feb. 12, will focus on the events of “The Last of Us: Part II,” which takes place five years after Joel and Ellie’s dangerous journey across the post-pandemic United States, where the pair has settled down in Jackson, Wyoming.
“Living amongst a thriving community of survivors has allowed them peace and stability, despite the constant threat of the infected and other, more desperate survivors,” the game’s synopsis states. “When a violent event disrupts that peace, Ellie embarks on a relentless journey to carry out justice and find closure.”
In addition to Ellie, “The Last of Us: Part II” introduces Abby, a soldier in a militia group known as the Washington Liberation Front who is s desperate to avenge her murdered father and who becomes involved in a conflict with a religious cult known as The Seraphites. She’ll be played by Kaitlyn Dever.
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will return to “The Last of Us” Season 2 as Joel and Ellie, respectively.
When previously asked about Season 2 in August, Mazin told TheWrap that he and Druckmann would “adapt as we see fit” and that the story of the second game “contemplates more than just a Season 2.”
“We’re obviously working off of a fantastic story, one of the most acclaimed video games of all time. The first was one of the most acclaimed and then the second one came along and said hold my beer and it’s pretty intense,” he said at the time. “We are giving ourselves the space and freedom to do it the way we think it should be done best.”
The series is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television. In addition to Mazin and Druckmann, other executive producers on Season 1 included Carolyn Strauss, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan and Rose Lam.
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