It appears as if the post-apocalyptic drama will return sooner than you thought! Here is everything we know so far about
The Last of Us Season 2.
Just like Ellie told Joel, “I’ll follow you anywhere you go,” in the finale episode of the first season, it seems like the fandom will also be following for any news about the much anticipated The Last of Us Season 2!
Especially since updates for The Last of Us Season 2 just keep coming back ever since the American post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for HBO was renewed for a second season back in January 2023. After the first season, it became a phenomenon as it received acclaim from critics who praised the performances, writing, production design, and score.
To simply put things into perspective the success of the season across linear channels and HBO Max, the series premiere was watched by 4.7 million viewers on the first day—the second-biggest for HBO since 2010—and almost 40 million within two months. Later, by March, the first six episodes averaged over 30 million viewers. Viewers even called it the best adaptation of a video game ever made!
With such appreciation for this story and the growing love for these characters, which initially started as a simple 2013 video game developed by Naughty Dog, it will be exciting to see how the second season will delve deep into the post-apocalyptic United States caused by a mass fungal infection that causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and collapse society.
For the most frequently asked question, “When will The Last of Us: Season 2 return to HBO?” We can speculate that if filming does begin later this year, then the second season will likely premiere sometime around late 2024 or early 2025, which is roughly comparable to the first season. We would like to highlight that this can only happen if the production is completed on a timely schedule without further delays.
Moreover, in an exclusive interview with Collider, Pedro Pascal hinted that filming for Season 2 will begin later this year. Pascal responded somewhat jokingly, “I can’t reveal too much.” But he did address the possibility of it happening, quoting, “In the year 2023? Oh, what season are we in now? We’re getting into spring?” Ultimately, he came around to specifics, saying, “Yes, there is a chance. Yes.”
On the other hand, according to the British newspaper The Independent, Bella openly admitted “it will be a while” until season 2 hits HBO. “I think we’ll probably shoot at the end of this year, beginning of next,” Bella added during an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show, quote, “So it’ll probably be the end of 2024, early 2025.” So, there is a lot of time left for the second season to premiere.
In addition to this, the good news doesn’t stop there, as it seems like the crew has already started zeroing in on its new home base for The Last of Us season 2, which is exciting to know that behind the scenes, things are moving as smoothly as the fans were expecting them to. According to Deadline, the HBO drama will set up shop in Vancouver for the continuing saga of Joel and Ellie for more adventures.
If you remember, the first season of the zombie drama began filming in July 2021 in Calgary, Alberta, with various locations in the Canadian province serving as Texas, Wyoming, and Missouri. Since The Last of Us: Part II has a major portion of the story that takes place in the Pacific Northwest, it is wonderful to see that the locations are also being taken into consideration.
Furthermore, according to co-creator and showrunner Craig Mazin, the season two story is much bigger and may be divided into two seasons. “It’s a big animal to take apart, you know? Because it’s a much bigger story and it’s a more complicated story. It’s a beautiful story,” Mazin told IGN. “It’s more than a season’s worth of television, for sure.”
Mazin also confirmed season 2 “will be different” from Part II. It will be different just as this season was different [from the first game],” he continued. Further adding, “Sometimes it will be different radically, and sometimes it will be [barely] different at all. But it’s going to be different and it will be its own thing. It won’t be exactly like the game. It will be the show that Neil and I want to make.”
They also explained why viewers saw fewer infected people in the first season. “I will say that even though we were greenlit for a season of television, Neil and I felt like we couldn’t just make a season of television without considering what would come after,” Mazin said. “There is more to The Last of Us to come. I think the balance is not always just about within an episode or even episode to episode, but season to season. It’s quite possible that there will be a lot more infected later.”
Right now, these are just reports circulating around the web, and HBO has yet to share details about the upcoming storyline or when production will begin. Until then, we urge the viewers to be patient and stream the first season to keep up with the plot or even play the video game series to get some idea about the second season with the sequel, The Last of Us Part II, which was released back in 2020.
The Last of Us Season 1: A quick recap
The official logline of the first season states, “The Last Of Us takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.”
The cast members include Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Anna Torv as Tess, Nico Parker as Sarah, Murray Bartlett as Frank, Nick Offerman as Bill, Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen, Storm Reid as Riley, Merle Dandridge as Marlene, Jeffrey Pierce as Perry, Lamar Johnson as Henry, Keivonn Woodard as Sam, Graham Greene as Marlon, and Elaine Miles as Florence.
Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker also star in the first season. The show is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. The series is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television and is executive produced by Carolyn Strauss, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Rose Lam. Production companies: PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog.
The nine-episode first season of the HBO Original drama series is available to stream exclusively on HBO and will be available to stream in 4K on HBO Max. The membership costs $10 per month (or $100 per year) for the ad-supported plan and $15 per month (or $150 per year) for the ad-free option. The series is also expected to be available on Binge in Australia and Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom.
Take a look at the official trailer for The Last of Us Season 1 from the Emmy award-winning creator of Chernobyl and the creator of the acclaimed video game on HBO Max’s official YouTube channel below:
Let us know in the comments what you expect to see in the second season of The Last of Us, and check out Web News Observer for more updates.