If something is being adopted in a movie or TV show, there’s a near 100% guarantee that things will be changed. All any fan can ask for is that the alterations of the thing they enjoy make sense and keep the soul of the original intact. For example, here we have The Last of Us.
Each of the episodes on HBO's The Last of Us had changes that ranged from slight to universe-shattering. Thankfully, most of them have been good for the franchise. There have been some missteps, like not casting a trans person to play a trans character named Lev. While I think that was a huge mistake, what they currently announced was not.
In The Last of Us, a cult called the Seraphites is among the antagonists in the game. They started out as peaceful people but quickly became zealots who misinterpreted their leader’s teachings. They were even okay with torturing and murdering their own people for not following the rules. Among them was Lev, who didn't want to be someone used only as a vessel to have children (Lev). They wanted to be treated as who they felt like inside. This leads us to the casting announced by Variety.
Within that group are the aforementioned Lev, his sister Yara, and their mother Miriam. During a report by Variety, it was announced that Li Jun Li (Grace from Sinners) will play Miriam, who is a character that isn’t seen (sort of), but her impact is felt.
WARNING! SPOILERS FOR THE LAST OF US!
Whenever Miriam is mentioned, there’s tension between Lev and Yara. Miriam doesn’t understand why her child won’t follow the Seraphites' teachings and has struck Lev for their disobedience. This leads to the only time gamers see Miriam, and that’s when she’s found dead after a confrontation with Lev. It’s a heavy moment, but it still feels like something is missing. As I’m writing this article, the part that was needed was seeing the mother and how awful she was to her children.
Yes, needing to see what happened is a weird thing to write. Nevertheless, this is a work of fiction, and sometimes seeing terrible things on shows and movies can change the way people think and act towards people who aren’t like them.
Li Jun Li joins others like the late Catherine O’Hara (Gail Lynden), Melanie Lynskey (Kathleen), and Ashley Johnson (Ellie’s mother), who weren’t in The Last of Us video game but ended up being memorable parts of the show. After seeing the performance put on in Sinners, there’s no doubt in this writer’s mind that she won’t slay this role. Also, don’t be shocked when more characters who weren’t in the source material end up on the show.
Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow and their social media sites, Bluesky, Instagram, and Twitter, for more news, opinions, and rumors about The Last of Us as they come out.
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