The Last of Us season 2 star Isabela Merced provides a new production update, confirming that filming has started. Serving as an adaptation of the acclaimed Naughty Dog video game franchise, the hit HBO show premiered early last year, telling the story of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they traverse a post-apocalyptic United States. The Last of Us‘ cast is set to grow in season 2, with Kaitlyn Dever having been confirmed as Abby and Merced playing the role of Dina, both of whom are key figures from the games.

During a recent interview with Deadline, Merced confirms that filming has officially started on The Last of Us season 2.

Isabela Merced reveals she has begun shooting #TheLastOfUs Season 2 as Dina and compliments co-star Kaitlyn Dever and showrunner Craig Mazin, plus she teases a good friend of hers is joining the cast pic.twitter.com/FuCaz4wwBo

— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) February 13, 2024

While she doesn’t reveal any story information in terms of what is to come, the actor praises the show’s co-creator, Craig Mazin, and teases some new cast additions that haven’t been announced yet. Check out her full comment below:

“The stars are truly aligning. I had several of my friends that I’ve worked with in this industry for a long time join the cast. I can’t say who just joined. But he’s amazing. And he’s a future superstar and already a superstar in my eyes. Kaitlyn [Dever] is right up there, like one of the most talented actors I’ve ever worked with.”

“We’ve had one day of shooting for me as Dina and I gotta say, we kind of ate, I’m not gonna lie. I was a huge fan of the second game. I played it in, like one weekend. And then I wondered, how is this going to translate onto TV?

“And Craig Mazin is one of the most brilliant people, actually, I think, a genius. I’m sure if they did the test, they would find out that it’s true. And he’s just has a way of bringing these characters to life that no one could ever just come up with in such a short amount of time. I love him. He’s amazing.”

Dina Could Be A Crucial Last Of Us Season 2 Character

Ellie’s Romantic Life Might Be A Larger Focus

The Last of Us season 1 proved that co-creators Mazin and Neil Druckmann aren’t afraid to deviate from the source material in some ways, but Merced’s casting as Dina suggests that the character is set to play an important role in the events to come. Without delving too deeply into specific spoilers from The Last of Us Part II, Dina serves as a key romantic interest for Ellie, and their dynamic is given a lot of attention as the game progresses.

The Ellie and Dina dynamic is actually part of a larger love triangle situation in the game, with Dina also having a romantic past with another survivor named Jesse. Jesse is confirmed to be appearing in The Last of Us season 2, with Beef actor Young Mazino playing the role. Season 1 did touch on Ellie’s romantic life in episode 7, “Left Behind,” chronicling her time with Riley (Storm Reid), but season 2 is seemingly poised to explore this aspect of her life with more depth.

There is a considerable time jump between the two video games in which Ellie goes from being 14 years old to 19. It remains to be seen whether The Last of Us season 2 will follow this same path, but it does make sense that Ellie’s romantic interests become a larger part of her life as she gets older. With production on season 2 only just getting underway, it’ll likely be quite some time before any marketing material is released, but Merced’s comment certainly suggests things are moving along nicely behind the scenes.