The Last of Us Star Reacts To Recast, We Missed Out

One star from The Last of Us has reacted to the live-action recast of their character, and it sounds like they really wanted to be involved.

HBO’s The Last of Us has been a fairly well received adaptation of the popular video game franchise. While fans believe the first season is a lot stronger than the second, many have united in calling it an entertaining show.

One particular aspect that felt rather faithful was bringing back some of the original cast from the Naughty Dog game to play characters in the show, sometimes even playing the same role.

This includes Merle Dandridge and Jeffrey Wright, who played Marlene and Isaac in the games, who reprised their roles for the live-action show.

Troy Baker, Jeffrey Pierce, and Ashley Johnson, who played Joel, Tommy, and Ellie respectively, also appeared in different roles in the first season.

However, one actor from the first The Last of Us who was suspiciously absent from the Season One cast was Nolan North.

North played David in the game, the leader of a group of survivors who appear during the Winter segment of the game. In the show, the character was played by Scott Shepherd, known for roles in El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie and Killers of the Flower Moon.

Nolan North (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)

An epic reunion could have taken place

Speaking to Fall Damage, North said: “My only regret is HBO didn't reach out and ask me to play David in the TV series.

"I grow a fantastic beard when necessary.”

He adds that it “would've been so great to have brought him to life", especially since he’d have been playing alongside Joel actor Troy Baker, who played James in the show.

Both actors have frequently collaborated together, most notably on Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and on North’s YouTube series Retro Replay. So it would have been quite a treat to see them onscreen together.

Although the role went to Shepherd, who we should add did a great job of portraying the cannibalistic villain, there’s still hope that North could be featured in a future episode of the series.

The Last of Us: Season 3 has been confirmed, though it won’t be airing until 2027. The next season is expected to follow Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby, showing the events of the second season from her perspective. So don’t expect series’ mainstays Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey to be featured too heavily.