The Last of Us series adds three more actors – including one from the games

The Last of Us TV show has bulked out its cast with three new additions. 

Not just any old additions, either. Bill and his lover/partner Frank will be appearing in the upcoming HBO production, as will a completely original character – played by Tommy's voice actor.

Deadline reports that Con O'Neill will play Bill and Murray Bartlett plays Frank. The pair are described as "two post-pandemic survivalists living alone in their own isolated town."

Tommy's voice actor, Jeffrey Pierce, will play Perry, a "rebel in a quarantine zone," potentially Boston if the series is closely following the events of the games.

This all points to what co-writer Craig Mazin hinted at in a BBC interview: changes are coming.

"So the changes that we're making are designed to fill things out and expand, not to undo, but rather to enhance," Mazin said at the time. Frank’s presence – spoilers: he dies before the events of the first game – also heavily implies that The Last of Us' story is going to be rounded out by flashbacks and scenes that might divert from the games' original path.

The Last of Us series, meanwhile, has just started filming. A new set photo shows Joel actor Pedro Pascal sitting alongside Gabriel Luna (Tommy) and Nico Parker (Joel's daughter, Sarah) in what appears to be a shot set up for the game's tear-jerking prologue.

What won't set us rushing for the tissues, however, is news that the first season of The Last of Us will run for a sizeable 10 episodes. The initial report on the series in March 2020 from The Hollywood Reporter hinted that "multiple seasons" could also be a possibility, so an adaptation of The Last of Us 2 can't be ruled out.

A director working on The Last of Us TV series has also pencilled in a '2022' release date on their Instagram page. With the cast seemingly almost complete – with Game of Thrones' Bella Ramsey playing Ellie and other actors joining the series in recent weeks – it seems like things are finally getting going on the hotly-anticipated adaptation of Naughty Dog's seminal series.

Find out what's coming to cinemas in 2021 with our guide to movie release dates.