The character of Frank was only seen as a corpse in The Last of Us game, but the series had given him a whole episode as well as a different arc for his lover Bill.
The second season is currently set to arrive in April, and while changes are expected, it looks like one character that wasn’t even seen in the game is going to be making an appearance in Season 2.
Joe Pantoliano Joins The Last of Us
As reported by Variety, Joe Pantoliano (The Matrix, Memento) has joined the cast of The Last of Us Season 2 as Eugene. It’s not clear what Eugene’s role is going to be in the season, but game director Neil Druckmann has confirmed that the character’s part will be expanded in the series compared to the original game. He says, “I get excited when I see these opportunities… I’m like, ‘Oh, I don’t know Eugene that well!’ The story we told (in the game) was somewhat superficial.”
What Was Eugene’s Role in the Game?
By the time The Last of Us Part II’s story kicks in, Eugene had already died at the age of 73, and what’s impressive is, he died from a stroke, meaning he’s one of the few humans to die of natural causes in this post-apocalyptic world.
Ellie and Dina end up talking about Eugene since he’s a former Firefly who was friendly with Dina, but they also somehow manage to stumble into the lab where he grows cannabis.
While the series could easily rewrite Eugene to be alive and a thriving member of Jackson, it’s possible that they could use him to tell some more backstory—maybe even lay more exposition on the Fireflies.
In the lore, Eugene did have a wife and kid that he left to join the Fireflies, and it was said that he committed terrorist acts with Tommy for the group before they quit and ended up in Jackson.
That's probably enough drama to tell a whole episode, which could even give an in-depth look at how the Fireflies operated, and maybe even give some more backstory for Tommy.
Creative Liberties
As mentioned earlier, the series has managed to take a one-note character and fully expand their role in the series. In the original game, players only get to see Frank after he kills himself and he leaves a hateful note to Bill. In the series however, Frank and Bill’s story is completely rewritten, and the show takes an entire episode to run through the ups and downs of their romance and how they managed to survive together during the apocalypse.
When it comes to Eugene’s case, there’s definitely a lot of room for backstory there, especially since he was a member of the Fireflies—a group that’s very much a major presence in the overall story. Who knows, maybe they can even write it so that Eugene knew Abby’s father and his plans to make a cure.
Until the show comes out, fans will just have to wait and see. Hopefully, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann deliver again.
The Last of Us Season 2 premieres on Max this April.