Storm Reid is staying in the HBO family. The Euphoria star has joined the cast of The Last of Us as a “crucial character” from the Left Behind DLC that was released in 2014 following the first video game that came out in 2013. Reid will play Riley Abel, the best friend of protagonist Ellie from their time at the Boston safe zone military academy. In addition to Left Behind, Riley was featured in the comic book miniseries The Last of Us: American Dreams, further fleshing out her past, along with Ellie’s.
The first season of The Last of Us is being written by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, the latter of whom wrote and directed the video game. Reid joins a cast that includes Pedro Pascal who plays Joel, a hardened survivor tasked with protecting the young girl Ellie, portrayed by Bella Ramsey, a young girl who is immune to the Cordyceps plague that has turned much of the population into zombies. Gabriel Luna also stars as Joel’s brother, Tommy, an idealistic former soldier.
Mazin announced Reid’s casting via Twitter:
Storm Reid has been cast as Riley in HBO’s #TheLastofUs series.
(Source: Deadline) pic.twitter.com/GuMcfwXqXe
— The Last of Us Updates (@TheLastofUsNews) January 14, 2022
Riley is a rebellious girl who resents the military rules of the quarantine zone and frequently sneaks out, eventually taking Ellie with her. Riley is determined to join the Fireflies, a group of survivors working outside the confines of the government.
Reid starred in the movies 12 Years a Slave and Sleight before landing her breakout role as Meg in A Wrinkle in Time, which earned her nominations for the Teen Choice Awards and the NAACP Image Awards. She has since appeared in Don’t Let Go, the Netflix miniseries When They See Us, The Invisible Man, and The Suicide Squad. She currently stars on HBO’s acclaimed Euphoria.
HBO hasn’t announced a release date for The Last of Us, but it is expected to arrive sometime this year.
