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‘Last of Us’ Season 3 casts ‘Bridgerton’ star as major game character Yara — here’s what to know

'The Last of Us' Season 3 is expanding Abby’s storyline with the casting of Michelle Mao as Yara and another character Lev

'The Last of Us' Season 2 is definitely gearing up to be the most comprehensive instalment of the video game adaptation franchise to date. While the sophomore season ended with a massive cliffhanger following the tragic death of Pedro Pascal's Joel, the third instalment is poised to present the narrative from the perspective of Kaitlyn Dever's Abby Anderson. In an interesting turn of events, 'The Last of Us' season three recently added two new names to its ensemble cast. As per Deadline, 'Bridgerton' star Michelle Mao and Kyriana Kratter of 'Star Wars: Skeleton Crew' fame have been cast to play the key characters of the siblings Yara and Lev, respectively. 

As per the background established by the Naughty Dog video games, Yara and Lev are seraphites, and both of them play an important role in Abby's character arc. Lev is defined as the deuteragonist of Abby's storyline and also plays the role of Abby's moral guide and partner. The HBO Max show, co-created and co-written by Craig Mazin and the video game's creator, Neil Druckmann, has been praised for its faithful adaptation of the source material in the past two seasons. In accordance with the latter half of the sequel game, i.e., 'The Last of Us 2', the upcoming third season of the show will feature Lev as a thirteen-year-old transgender boy. HBO had organized an inclusive casting call for the character of Lev, and numerous actors from different backgrounds auditioned for the role. Kratter was ultimately chosen as she fits the character and the age bracket, being fifteen years old herself. 

Kratter was recently seen in the Disney+ show 'Star Wars: The Skeleton Crew'. where she appeared alongside Ryan Kiera Armstrong and Jude Law. Apart from this, she has also been appearing regularly on Disney Channel's show 'Bunk’d'. On the other hand, Mao is still riding the waves of success following her portrayal of Yerin Ha's evil stepsister Rosamund on the fourth season of Bridgerton on Netflix. She also appears in the feature 'Zi', directed by Kogonada, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

The rest of the cast of 'The Last of Us' season three includes Bella Ramsey, Jeffrey Wright, Gabriel Luna, and Isabela Merced. It has also been confirmed that Clea DuVall will play the role of a seraphite. Jorge Lendeborg Jr. will be seen as Manny in the wake of Danny Ramirez's departure. Patrick Wilson will play the character of Abby's father, Jerry, while Jason Ritter will be seen as the WLF soldier Hanley. 'The Last of Us' takes place against the backdrop of a world devastated by a fungal cordyceps infection that has spread and taken over the entire nation, turning people into zombies. The show is available exclusively on HBO Max.