Catherine O'Hara at Elle's Women in Hollywood Celebration.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice star Catherine O’Hara has signed on to join HBO’s next season of The Last of Us.

Per Variety, the actor will be appearing in the sophomore outing for the post-apocalyptic drama. Her casting comes weeks after other actors were locked in for major season two roles, such as Kaitlyn Dever as Abby and Isabela Merced as Dina. But unlike them, her role is being kept entirely under wraps at time of writing.

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But that hasn’t stopped Last of Us fans from speculating on what character O’Hara will be. Since season two is adapting 2020’s The Last of Us Part II, that means the show will introduce audiences to an enemy faction called the Seraphites (or Scars). They believe the Cordyceps infection was an intentional punishment for humanity’s sins—specifically technology and physical pleasure—and in turn would pave the way for our redemption. Their unnamed leader died prior to the events of the game, but the Seraphites understandably hold her in high regard, to the point that they began calling her “the Prophet” and have fought the Infected (and the militaristic Washington Liberation Front, or Wolves) sans firearms. In-game art shows her as an older woman with shoulder length hair, which makes O’Hara a potentail dead ringer for the part.

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The first season of HBO’s adaptation widened the scope of the games to include perspectives not previously seen, like a brief vignette of an Indonesian scientist who learns of the infection days before the outbreak and the birth of Bella Ramsey’s Ellie. With that in mind, it makes sense that the show sketch out who the Seraphites and WLF are to give audiences a better idea of where they’re coming from, since there’s key characters from both sides of the conflict that act as protagonists in The Last of Us Part II. Whether O’Hara is playing the Seraphite Leader or someone else, it’s likely said individual will show up at some point in the show.

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The Last of Us season two is expected to arrive on HBO and Max in 2025.


Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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