Y: The Last Man Adaptation Announces Ensemble Cast

The long-in-development TV adaptation of the graphic novel Y: The Last Man has gotten another step closer to realization, with the announcement of its cast. The ensemble includes heavy-hitters from movies like Dunkirk and Green Room, and even an Oscar-nominated actress in one key role.

Deadline reports that the lead role of Yorick Brown will be played by Barry Keoghan (Dunkirk, The Killing of a Sacred Deer). Imogen Poots (Green Room, Frank & Lola) will play Yorick's older sister and EMT Hero Brown, and Oscar-nominee Diane Lane (Unfaithful) will play Senator Jennifer Brown, their mother.

Rounding out the cast outside the Brown family, Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel) will play Agent 355, a Secret Service agent who takes on Yorick's protection. Juliana Canfield (Succession) will play Beth, Yorick's long-time girlfriend. Finally, Marin Ireland (Sneaky Pete) will play Nora, the president's senior assistant.

Y: The Last Man is a graphic novel series by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra published in 2002, which explores a post-apocalyptic world after the sudden death of all male mammals on the planet--except for Yorick Brown and his pet monkey, Ampersand. Yorick sets about a globetrotting trip to find his girlfriend Beth amidst the chaos, while those around him seek answers about what caused the extinction and why he was spared. The comic book explored themes of gender dynamics, and the adaptation--simply called Y for the FX network--is likely to do the same.

This cast appears to cover the major bases of the comic, but conspicuously leaves out one major character: Dr. Allison Mann, a geneticist who accompanies Yorick as she attempts to unlock the mystery of his miraculous survival.

Y tapped talent from the likes of Blade Runner 2049 and Luke Cage to serve as showrunners, and Brian K. Vaughan is one of the executive producers. This adaptation has suffered several false starts, including attempted film adaptations from Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) and D.J. Caruso (XXX: Return of Xander Cage). FX first expressed interest in 2015, but the script process suffered a long delay as showrunner Michael Green struggled to make an impactful show about gender dynamics in light of the 2016 election.