Nick Offerman has joined the cast of HBO’s The Last of Us

In a pretty brilliant casting move, Parks and Recreation star Nick Offerman has been cast as Bill in the upcoming HBO adaptation of Naughty Dog’s successful zombie apocalypse game The Last of Us.

Deadline reports that Offerman was tapped to play the role after the previous actor, Con O’Neill, was forced to depart the project due to scheduling conflicts. The news actually seems to have been leaked a few days ago via one of the other actors on the show. Murray Bartlett, who plays Bill’s partner Frank on the series, told The Guardian that most of his scenes in the show were with Offerman.

“Playing off him was awesome,” said Bartlett.

Bartlett also had plenty of nice things to say about the show’s co-creator Craig Mazin, who wrote several of the scripts himself, adding that, “The scripts he’s written blew my head off. It’s an epic show, but beautifully human and intimate.” That should get fans excited for the series.

Nick Offerman will play Bill in The Last of Us

Even though Offerman has been active in the acting business for a long time, he really rose to fame during his six-year stint as the surly Ron Swanson opposite Amy Poehler’s endlessly optimistic Leslie Knope. However, Swanson has also proven his prowess as a dramatic actor in recent years as well with roles in Fargo and Devs. He’ll also star in the upcoming Hulu series Pam & Tommy alongside Seth Rogen, Sebastian Stan and Lily James.

Offerman and Bartlett join Pedro Pascal, Belle Ramsey, Anna Torv and Gabriel Luna in The Last of Us, which is currently filming in Canada. Previously a few leaked photos and videos have circulated on the internet for those who are looking for a peek at the series.

The Last of Us is currently scheduled for a 2022 release date, but HBO has not specified when to expect it. I would guess not until the summer or fall, but hopefully, we’ll get the first teaser soon!