Nick Offerman will play Bill in HBO’s adaptation of the hit 2013 video game The Last of Us.
HBO previously announced that the actor would be joining the cast of the upcoming HBO series, but an update from Variety confirms that he will portray Bill, a man who lives alone in a small town he’s rigged with booby traps to ward off infected and hostile travelers. Bill appears in the original game when Joel and Ellie visit his town in the hopes that he can help them find a car that can take them to Colorado, where they believe they can use Ellie’s immunity to create a cure for the Cordyceps plague.
Con O’Neill was originally set to play Bill in The Last of Us, but the actor had to pull out due to scheduling conflicts.
Additionally, Murray Bartlett will play Bill’s partner, Frank. The game never spells it out overtly for players but hints that Bill is gay and was romantically involved with Frank during their time living together.
Be warned, spoilers for The Last of Us video game follow.
In the game, Frank becomes infected and commits suicide. Frank never appears alive in the game, so the casting of Bartlett indicates that the new series may include flashback sequences or perhaps even that Frank will still be alive by the time Joel and Ellie meet up with Bill in the series.
Offerman and Bartlett will star alongside Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy, and Anna Torv as Tess. Details on the release date remain vague, with The Last of Us set to debut at some point in 2022.