One of the hottest shows of 2023 was The Last of Us.
HBO’s adaptation of the beloved 2013 PlayStation 3 video game garnered rave reviews for its acting, writing, direction and score. The post-apocalyptic story of grizzled survivor Joel slowly connecting with a tenacious teenager named Ellie resonated strongly with people, even those who hadn’t played the game. This led The Last of Us to become one of the network’s biggest series, so naturally, a second season was quickly greenlit.
However, production on Season 2 was delayed amid last year’s writers and actors’ strikes, and it only just officially began last month. Therefore, a lot has happened in the past several months with the show, and you might have missed a few notable updates. With that in mind, here’s a breakdown of everything we know so far about The Last of Us Season 2.
Synopsis
Creators and showrunners Neil Druckmann (the co-creator of the original The Last of Us game) and Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) have confirmed that Season 2 will adapt the 2020 PlayStation 4 game The Last of Us Part II.
It’s difficult to say much about the plot of that game without major spoilers, but a basic rundown is that it follows Ellie, who’s on a brutal quest for vengeance, and Abby, a soldier who gets entangled in a war between her militia (the WLF) and a religious cult.
Kaitlyn Dever (left) and Abby (right). Image credit: HBO
In the first The Last of Us game, Joel was the main playable character, outside of an extended section in which you controlled Ellie. The sequel, however, starred Ellie (plus Abby), so expect to see even more of Ramsey this time around.
The actors
Naturally, series stars Pedro Pascal (Joel) and Bella Ramsey (Ellie) will return in Season 2. Gabriel Luna, who played Joel’s brother Tommy in the first season, is also back.
On top of that, here are the confirmed new cast members:
Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart) — Abby
Young Mazino (Beef) — Jesse, a friend of Ellie
Isabela Merced (Dora and the Lost City of Gold) — Dina, Ellie’s love interest
Danny Ramirez (Top Gun: Maverick) — a WLF soldier and friend of Abby
Ariela Barer (Runaways) — a young WLF doctor
Tati Gabriele (You) — Nora, a WLF medic
B.C.’s Spencer Lord (Heartland) — Owen, a reluctant WLF soldier and friend of Abby
Danny Ramirez, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, and Spencer Lord have joined the cast of the HBO Original series #TheLastOfUs for Season 2. @TheLastofUsHBOpic.twitter.com/bbxMZ2I6TQ
— Max (@StreamOnMax) March 1, 2024
Additionally, Toronto’s Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek) has been cast in an undisclosed role.
It should be noted that this rounds up the majority of the key characters from The Last of Us Part II, outside of Lev and Yara, two siblings whose stories are connected to Abby. Meanwhile, one notable character in the game who had little screen time was the WLF leader Isaac (played there by Oscar nominee Jeffrey Wright), so it remains to be seen if the show will expand his role.
Of course, Season 2 may also introduce new characters not seen in the games, like Season 1 did with Yellowjackets’ Melanie Lynskey (Kathleen) and Perry (played by original Tommy actor Jeffrey Pierce).
Also, it will be interesting to see whether Season 2 offers any guest roles or cameos for the major actors from the games, as Season 1 did for Troy Baker (Joel), Ashley Johnson (Ellie) and Laura Bailey (Abby). While Baker and Johnson got to play named characters (a settler named James and Ellie’s mother Anna, respectively), Bailey appeared as a random masked nurse in the finale, so they may give her a more well-defined role in Season 2.
The crew
Co-creator Neil Druckmann on the set of The Last of Us Season 1. Image credit: HBO
Once again, Druckmann and Mazin will return as writers and showrunners. Additionally, Druckmann has tapped Halley Gross, his co-writer on The Last of Us Part II, to contribute to Season 2.
lHBO has also confirmed several well-known directors who will helm episodes of the show. First, Druckmann and Mazin will once again direct episodes, as will Peter Hoar, who helmed Season 1’s Emmy-winning “Long, Long Time” with Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett). Kate Herron (Loki), Nina Lopez-Corrado (Perry Mason), Stephen Williams (Watchmen) and Mark Mylod (Succession) will also direct episodes.
Filming locations
While Season 1 garnered much attention from Canadians for being filmed in Alberta, Season 2 is instead shooting in Vancouver. It’s unclear why production moved provinces, but it may be because The Last of Us Part II is primarily set in Seattle, which is close to B.C.
So far, we’ve seen little to come out of the set, outside of a supermarket in Kamloops which was ripped straight from the tutorial of the game:
The Last of Us Season 2 set in Kamloops, Canada.
(Via: u/breadfruitworrywitch) pic.twitter.com/XdS7hOECIQ
— Naughty Dog Info 🐾 (@NaughtyDogInfo) February 11, 2024
Release date
Season 2 is expected to premiere sometime in 2025. A more specific window has not yet been confirmed.
The future
Mazin has noted that Season 2 is the first of multiple planned seasons to fully adapt The Last of Us Part II, which was significantly longer and denser than the original game. While he wouldn’t confirm if that would be two or three seasons, we do know, at the very least, that Season 2 isn’t set to be the end.
At the moment, that’s everything we know about The Last of Us Season 2. We’ll update this story should any other notable information become available.
In the meantime, you can play The Last of Us Part II on both PS4 and PS5 (the latter being a remastered version). A spoiler-filled two-hour documentary on the making of The Last of Us Part II was also released on YouTube last month.
Image credit: HBO
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