Work continues on HBO's The Last Of Us, and it feels as if rarely a day goes by without a photo or a clip from the set somehow making its way online. Earlier this week, a leak of a different kind made it onto the world wide web. That Nick Offerman of Ron Swanson fame is a part of the show. Murray Bartlett, who will play Frank in the TV adaptation, spoke on how much he enjoyed working with Offerman while on set.
Since Bartlett let the cat out of the bag, HBO has gone ahead and made it official, confirming who Offerman will be playing in the process. As reported by Variety, Offerman will play Bill. Bill is Frank's partner in the first Last Of Us game, so it makes sense that Offerman and Bartlett will have been acting together a lot on set.
There are two very interesting elements to this confirmation. First of all, the role of Bill had reportedly already been cast. Con O'Neill was previously revealed to be playing Bill on the show. However, a scheduling conflict apparently resulted in him having to step down, and Offerman has stepped up. The other tidbit relates to Bill's role in the first game, and how it will almost definitely differ in the show.
While Bill and Frank are partners, players never actually get to meet Frank, at least not while he is still alive. As Bill helps Joel and Ellie find a car, the three of them find Frank hanging in an abandoned house. Bill reveals the last time the two of them spoke they'd had a falling out. Clearly, the show will deviate from the game slightly when it comes to Bill and Frank with the pair getting more screen time than they do in the game.
When it comes to casting, you can see in the side by side above that HBO has nailed the choice once again, even if Offerman was its second pick. Offerman joins Pedro Pascal who will play Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, and Merle Dandridge who has been given the opportunity to play the role of Marlene, the character she voices in the game. Filming of the show is still ongoing and while it doesn't have an official debut date just yet, it does still appear to be on track to be here by 2022.
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