The Last of Us casts Kaitlyn Dever as Abby

Kaitlyn Dever will officially take on the role of Abby in the highly anticipated second season of The Last of Us, HBO announced on Tuesday.

Rumors about Dever’s role as Abby in the video game adaptation began circulating late last year. Abby is one of the major characters in The Last of Us Part II, the PlayStation game from which the second season will draw its story, and is a rival to protagonist Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey).

While Dever has starred in shows like Last Man Standing and Justified, her most recent performance as the main character in Hulu’s sci-fi flick No One Will Save You stands out, as her character remained silent for nearly the entire movie.

“Our casting process for season two has been identical to season one: we look for world-class actors who embody the souls of the characters in the source material,” showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann said in a joint statement to Variety. Dever will star alongside returning leads Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal (as Joel).