Cheer up, The Last of Us fans! The beloved duo of Ellie and Joel will take some time, but they will certainly return to our television screens.
We have some great news for you. Months of building anticipation for the series’ return has finally paid off. We are delighted to inform our avid readers that the network has officially confirmed that the much-awaited The Last of Us Season 2 will be heading into production by early 2024 (February 12), as the network is eyeing the second season to release by 2025. HBO boss Casey Bloys revealed the update at an event in New York.
In addition to this, Max confirmed the release window for The Last of Us Season 2 in its “One to Watch” trailer, which showcases new originals, returning series, and more on its upcoming streaming slate. The Last of Us appeared in its 2025 section alongside several other titles, including The White Lotus and Euphoria, giving fans reason to celebrate as in an interview with Deadline, HBO Head of Drama Francesca Orsi also said all the major original series will be returning sometime around 2025.
Take a look at the full official trailer below:
The best is yet to come.
New originals, returning series, and more are coming soon to Max, The One to Watch. pic.twitter.com/Rnfp7gpvAe
— Max (@StreamOnMax) December 6, 2023
The Last of Us Season 2: What to expect from the new season?
There is no doubt that the post-apocalyptic world of The Last of Us is rich in storytelling, and the characters are very much loved by the fans as it is based on the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog. The series is set twenty years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and collapse society.
According to Deadline, the HBO drama’s filming for the second season is set to take place in British Columbia, including Vancouver, to continue the saga of Joel and Ellie’s adventures across the post-apocalyptic United States. With the production planned to begin in early 2024, it will be ideal for the show to make its return soon rather than delay any further, which might impact the audience’s interest.
Additionally, the producers have already teased bigger and more elaborate zombies next season:
“There will be a couple of new pieces of casting, which I can’t get into. And of course, there isn’t much that we can go into on The Last of Us, given that Craig can’t really initiate in any meaningful way from a writing or casting standpoint. But he and Neil have a good sense of what it is that he’s going to be taking on. We’ll be moving the show from Calgary to Vancouver,” Orsi said.
Further adding, “All I can say is he’s taking a big swing from both an entertainment standpoint, related to the clickers, but also just the more nuanced, complex character dynamic between our characters, Joel, Ellie, and beyond.”
The Last of Us creator and co-showrunner Neil Druckmann also confirmed that Season 2 of the Emmy-nominated HBO series is all outlined and ready to go with the script of the first episode already written. “We were able to map out all of Season 2,” series co-creator Craig Mazin also told Entertainment Weekly. “And I also wrote and submitted the script for the first episode and sent it in [to HBO] around 10:30 or 10:40 pm right before the midnight when the [WGA] strike began.”
Creators/EPS Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann also explained the lack of infected in the first season and hinted about more infected people being involved in the second season, quoting:
“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.”
The Last of Us Season 2 Frequently Asked Questions
Who will reprise their roles?
As of writing this, it is tough to guess who will appear in season 2 because many characters were killed off one after another in the first season. However, it’s pretty obvious that Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie will be back, along with the crew.
The Last of Us is written and executive produced by Mazin and 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. The production companies are PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog.
Will there be new casting?
The second season is expected to be an adaptation of the 2020 game sequel, partly following Abby. As a result, we will see new casting announcements for this character shortly. As actors had been auditioning for scenes from The Last of Us Part II, the production team wanted to start the second season’s casting with Abby.
Recently, journalist Jeff Sneider stated that Kaitlyn Dever was in talks to play Abby in November following the response to her performance in No One Will Save You (2023).
How many episodes will be there?
The second season is expected to consist of at least 9 episodes with an average runtime of 43–81 minutes, just to be consistent with the first season. Of course, this is subject to change if the network wants to make a smaller or bigger season, which will be confirmed later.
Where to stream?
The first season is available to stream exclusively on MAX (previously known as HBO Max). International viewers can also watch it by renting or purchasing it on Google Play, Vudu, Amazon Instant Video, JioCinema, Amazon Prime, and iTunes, depending on the viewer’s location and membership plans, which simultaneously depend on the package you choose. The series is also expected to be available on Binge in Australia and Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom.
The viewers can also stream the show via VPN if the series or the streaming services are not available in their region.
Is there any official promo released?
Unfortunately, the network has not yet published an official trailer, as the production will begin by 2024, leaving a lot of time for the promotion to start. In the meantime, catch up with the first season, which has gotten critical acclaim and follows:
“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.”
