Since True Blood and Queen Sugar star Rutina Wesley was spotted on the Calgary set of HBO's The Last of Us, many fans of the original video games had a good idea about who the actress might be playing. In fairness, they had a really good idea. Those suspicions were right: Wesley has officially been cast in the role of Maria, which EW can exclusively confirm with a first-look photo of her in character.
Maria is a figure pulled directly from 2013's The Last of Us and 2020's The Last of Us Part II, the beloved PlayStation games that sparked this TV series adaptation. Ashley Scott voiced the role in those titles. For the purposes of the show thus far — and to avoid spoilers — the character is described as the leader of a settlement of survivors in Jackson, Wyo.
It's a role that could very easily expand should HBO decide to move ahead with The Last of Us season 2. (A renewal has not been announced.)
