HBO and Naughty Dog have announced that Isabela Merced has been cast as Dina in Season 2 of HBO’s The Last of Us.

Merced has been featured in past films such as Dora and the Lost City of Gold and Rosaline alongside Kaitlyn Dever, who was recently cast as Abby. Merced also stars in the upcoming film, Madame Web.

Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann expressed how happy they both were for this casting choice, saying that “Dina is warm, brilliant, wild, funny, moral, dangerous, and instantly lovable. You can search forever for an actor who effortlessly embodies all of those things, or you can find Isabela Merced right away. We couldn’t be prouder to have her join our family.”

In The Last of Us Part II, Dina and Ellie form a special bond amidst the chaos of their surroundings, and will be a key character that will provide Ellie with a shoulder to lean on. She is described as “a free-wheeling spirit whose devotion to Ellie will be tested by the brutality of the world they inhabit.”

What do you think of this casting choice?