Update, 12/7/2021:
Nick Offerman has been cast as Bill in HBO’s upcoming The Last of Us TV series, which is an adaptation of the PlayStation-exclusive game of the same name.
Previously, it was revealed that Con O’Neill had been cast as Bill, leading to widespread circulation yesterday as for who Offerman might be playing (many thought he’d make a good Bill but the role was already cast). However, a new report from Variety reveals that Offerman will, in fact, play Bill in HBO’s series after O’Neill had to drop out from the show due to a scheduling conflict.
[Source: Variety]
The original story follows…
Original Story, 12/6/2021:
An actor from HBO’s upcoming TV adaptation of The Last of Us has revealed that Nick Offerman of Parks and Recreation fame has a role in the series.
This news comes by way of a new interview from The Guardian, which interviewed Murray Bartlett, the actor who will be playing Frank, the partner of The Last of Us’ Bill. Frank isn’t seen (alive) in the game, but he’s talked about when Joel and Ellie visit Bill in his secluded booby-trapped town. Bartlett told The Guardian that he filmed some scenes with Ron Swanson actor, Offerman, as first reported by GameSpot.
“It’s co-created by Craig Mazin, who did Chernobyl,” Bartlett told The Guardian when asked what he could say in regards to The Last of Us TV series. “The script he’s written blew my head off. It’s an epic show, but beautifully human and intimate. We filmed it in Calgary. A lot of my scenes are with Nick Offerman. Playing off him was awesome.”
Bartlett must have forgotten that Offerman’s casting in The Last of Us had not yet been announced, but the clicker’s out of the bag now. However, as for who Offerman is playing in the series, that remains a mystery. Most people might jump to Bill, Frank’s partner. However, Chernobyl’s Con O’Neill has already been cast as Bill, as reported by Collider.
Considering Frank’s inclusion in the show is something that will be unique to HBO’s series, we already know the show is taking some creative freedom compared to the game. That means that Offerman’s character could theoretically be anybody – perhaps he’s playing a character we already know from the game, or maybe he’s somebody new. Only time will tell for now.
While waiting to learn more, check out Pedro Pascal’s Joel and Bella Ramsey’s Ellie in the first officially-released photo from the show, and then look at these new Last of Us TV show set photos from Calgary. Read our thoughts on the game that the series is based on in Game Informer’s The Last of Us review after that.
[Source: The Guardian]
Are you excited about this series? Who do you think Nick Offerman will play? Let us know in the comments below!
