Are you ready to return to this post-apocalyptic world? Here is everything we know so far about The Last of Us Season 2.
Only one episode remains to see how Joel and Ellie’s first-season journey filled with zombie-like creatures and societal collapse will end. There is no doubt that the story has so much more to be explored! As, the network renewed the show in January 2023 for a second season ahead of the finale episode, which isn’t surprising at all!
As of March, the first five episodes averaged almost 30 million viewers, which is spectacular for any network to ignore and miss the chance to greenlight another season. Since this announcement was made it’s unclear when HBO will begin filming and eventually release Season 2.
But in an exclusive interview with Collider, Editor-in-Chief Steve Weintraub sat down with Pedro Pascal, and shed some light on the question of whether the series will go straight into production this year or not. During their discussion, Weintraub naturally took the opportunity to check in with Pascal about The Last of Us, asking if 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.” Overall, this is fantastic news because the show’s plot has been so intriguing and well-developed to showcase the evolution of Joel and Ellie’s relationship before leading into the new chapter.
This leads us to believe that if filming does begin later this year, then the second season will likely premiere sometime around early to mid-2024, which is roughly comparable to the first season. We would like to highlight that this can only happen if the production starts without any long hiatus, which is possible if it is completed on a timely schedule. On the other hand, showrunner Craig Mazin has said that Season 2 will look to directly adapt The Last of Us Part II.
The second game developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation 4 was released back in 2020 and takes place multiple years after the original game. If you haven’t played the game yet, we will not reveal the future storyline, but we can assure you there is a lot to unpack! Additionally, Ramsey revealed her excitement for Season 2 in a new interview with ComicBook.com’s The Last of Pods podcast, despite knowing it will be a very different experience.
“I’m really excited. It still feels surreal to me that it’s going to go again,” Ramsey said. “But also, I don’t want to go into it comparing it to the experience of the first season, because […] Season 1 of The Last of Us was the best year of my life, and it’s not going to be the same. I just have to go into it being like, ‘This is season two. And I love season one, but this is just going to be different.’ I’m really excited. I just, yeah, want to be back in Canada with Craig Mazin and Pedro [Pascal] for a little bit. It’s going to be really nice.”
The Last of Us Season 1: When will the finale episode premiere?
The official synopsis of the series states, “In 2003, a parasitic fungal infection ravages the planet, turning humans into violent creatures known as the Infected. Twenty years later, hardened survivor Joel (Pedro Pascal) is hired to smuggle 14-year-old Ellie (Bella Ramsey) to the rebel Fireflies. But what should be a quick job becomes a harrowing journey in this hit series that brings the acclaimed video game to life.”
The ninth episode, simply titled, “Look for the Light,” is scheduled to release on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at 9 PM on HBO and HBO Max. The network hasn’t released any synopsis to avoid spoilers beforehand. But it is clear that the episode will resume from the eighth episode, “When We Are in Need.“ *Spoiler Alert* The episode showed Ellie abandoning Joel, who is still recovering, to go food hunting. After shooting a deer, she follows the wounded animal.
As she follows the wounded animal and meets a preacher named David and his fellow hunter named James. She exchanges her buck for penicillin. Ellie leaves to treat Joel after David reveals that the man who stabbed him was a member of his group. The next day, she discovers that David and his men have followed her in order to exact revenge on Joel. Eventually, she flees to distract them but is apprehended.
You keep going for family. #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/4lUrf2ZfiH
— The Last of Us (@TheLastofUsHBO) March 7, 2023
Later, we see that David reveals at his camp that he has been feeding his group human flesh. Meanwhile, Joel wakes up and tortures some of David’s men into telling him where Ellie is. David and James try to murder Ellie, but she kills James and flees. David pursues her, but she overpowers him and kills him with a meat cleaver. Joel comforts a traumatized Ellie outside the cult’s burning community center.
The series stars Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna, Anna Torv, Nico Parker, Murray Bartlett, and Nick Offerman as well as Melanie Lynskey, Storm Reid, Merle Dandridge, Jeffrey Pierce, Lamar Johnson, Keivonn Woodard, Graham Greene, Elaine Miles, Ashley Johnson, and Troy Baker. The Last of Us is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann.
In order to receive updates on when the show premieres on HBO and HBO Max on Sundays at the same time slot of 9 p.m. ET. Interested viewers can also enable notifications on the digital streaming platform. 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 will also be available on Binge in Australia and Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom.
Take a look at the official promo for the upcoming episode below:
While you wait for more The Last of Us Season 2 updates, you can watch the previous episodes on HBO.