This article has some SPOILERS for Alien: Romulus and The Last of Us 2
Alien: Romulus' director, Fede Alvarez, revealed how he was inspired by Naughty Dog’sThe Last of Us 2, confirming a connection between the characters of Dina and Kay.Alien: Romuluspremiered in theaters earlier this August, and is another entry in the belovedAlienfilm franchise.Romulusstars Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, and Aileen Wu as a group of space colonists looking for a home, until they encounter a group of aliens living aboard an abandoned space station. According to Fede Alvarez, Isabela Merced’s character, Kay Harrison, was inspired by Dina fromThe Last of Us 2.
The Last of Us 2is still a hotly talked about game four years after its initial release, with discussions surrounding its themes, characters, and plot points. One of thekey characters toThe Last of Us 2’s story is Dina, the girlfriend of protagonist Ellie. Dina joins Ellie in her pursuit of revenge against Abby, and is just as capable as her girlfriend in terms of fighting off the various hordes of infected. Alvarez revealed a shared connection betweenAlien: Romulus' Kay andThe Last of Us 2’s Dina, more specifically how Kay was pregnant during the film’s events.
Alvarez shared this detail on Twitter in response to a tweet asking him if he’d playedThe Last of Us. He reveals that he was indeed playingThe Last of Us 2while writingAlien: Romulus. The story of Dina being pregnant duringThe Last of Us 2made him think of having Kay be pregnant as well. He noted the funny coincidence of how he cast Isabella Merced to play Kay a full year beforeMerced was cast as Dina for the HBOThe Last of Us TVshow.
Kay Was Inspired by TLOU2’s Dina, Before Kay’s Actor Was Cast As Dina for HBO’s Series
Dina will be appearing inthe second season of HBO’sThe Last of UsTV show, with Merced saying how much of her character’s relationship with Ellie will be put at the forefront. While the second season wrapped up its filming earlier this August, a release date hasn’t been set yet.
In the meantime, Alvarez has been sharing littledetails aboutAlien: Romulusthat fans might have missedafter watching it for the first time, such as the true father of Kay’s baby, as well as a hidden Easter egg to Ellen Ripley, the protagonist of previousAlienfilms. When he was asked if there were plans for a potential sequel, Alvarez stated that while he’s got some ideas, there’s nothing concrete, wanting to see how audiences react to the story ofAlien: Romulusfirst. Based on the critical and commercial success thatAlien: Romulusis garnering, it seems like it’s on its way there.
The Last of Us Part 2
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Play the winner of over 300 Game of the Year awards, remastered for the PlayStation®5 console. Relive or play for the first time Ellie and Abby’s story, now with graphical enhancements, new gameplay modes like the roguelike survival experience No Return, full DualSense® wireless controller integration, and more. Five years after their dangerous journey across the post-pandemic United States, Ellie and Joel have settled down in Jackson, Wyoming. Living amongst a thriving community of survivors has allowed them peace and stability, despite the constant threat of the infected and other, more desperate survivors. When a violent event disrupts that peace, Ellie embarks on a relentless journey to carry out justice and find closur
