Rahul Kohli's Midnight Mass character is a tribute to The Last of Us

Rahul Kohli's character in Netflix series Midnight Mass is an homage to Joel Miller of The Last of Us.

Kohli revealed the fact earlier this week on Twitter, which you can see below, writing that both himself and Midnight Mass series director Mike Flanagan were enamoured with The Last of Us protagonist. As a result, Sheriff Hasan, Kohli's character in Midnight Mass, has a look inspired in part by the character from the Naughty Dog game.

Midnight Mass, if you're unfamiliar, is a new horror series hitting Netflix later this week on September 24. It tells the story of an isolated community in rural America, whose pre-existing divisions are further ruptured by the return of disgraced altar boy-turned atheist Riley Flynn.

The new series marks Kohli's second collaboration with director Mike Flanagan. The two previously worked together on The Haunting of Bly Manor, where Kohli played the beloved cook and general handyman Owen. Midnight Mass marks Flanagan's third horror series to debut on Netflix, after The Haunting of Hill House launched in 2018, and The Haunting of Bly Manor arrived last year in 2020.

As for Joel Miller though, The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal will be portraying the character in the upcoming HBO adaptation. The Last of Us TV show might not have a release date just yet, but production is full steam ahead in Canada, where Gabriel Luna has been cast as Joel's brother Tommy, and newcomer Nico Parker is playing Joel's daughter, Sarah.

The first Midnight Mass reactions are now in ahead of its premiere, and some are saying it's even better than The Haunting of Hill House. In the meantime, be sure to check out the best Netflix horror movies streaming right now.