The actors who will play Henry and Sam in HBO’s upcoming adaptation of the adored video game The Last of Us from Naughty Dog have been announced. Lamar Johnson will play the older Henry while Keivonn Woodard will play Sam in the role of the two brothers. The casting announcement was made by IGN, who also noted that Henry and Sam’s personalities will differ significantly from those of their video game counterparts.
In the post-apocalyptic game, players will recall that Joel and Ellie encounter the other two survivors in Pittsburgh and band together to fight off the roving pack of hunters that has taken over the city. Henry and Sam are located in Kansas City in the television series, and according to their official IGN character description, they are “hiding from a revolutionary organisation seeking retribution.”
Sam was voiced by Nadji Jeter in the original game, while Henry was portrayed by Brandon Scott. In addition to this casting, it was also confirmed that Marlon and Florence will be played by guest stars Graham Greene and Elaine Miles. Don’t worry if these two characters don’t sound familar; they shouldn’t. They are two entirely new characters who will make their series premiere.
People who have followed the development of the show, which is slated to be a retelling of the 2013 game’s tale with modifications discovered throughout, should not be surprised by these revisions and new characters. Although it is unclear how much of the plot will be different, Bella Ramsey, who will play Ellie alongside Padro Pascal’s Joel in the series, confirmed in an interview that the show explores different avenues from the games while also paying tribute to the original work and hitting the key emotional beats.
In the new series, which also stars Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Joel’s younger brother and a former soldier, and Storm Reid as Riley, Ellie’s close friend from before she meets Joel, Johnson, Woodard, Greene, and Miles join Ramsey and Pascal on the cast. The series will also feature Nick Offerman, Anna Torv, Merle Dandrige, Nico Parker, Gabriel Luna, Jeffrey Pierce, and Murray Bartlett.