HBO did the impossible earlier this year by taking one of the most beloved video games of all time and turning it into one of 2023’s most talked-about new shows. Over the course of its nine-episode run, The Last of Us earned top marks across the board as it faithfully recreated its source material’s campaign in live-action, wowing longtime fans and gaining a few new ones along the way. Because of this, viewers are already hungry for the next season, which will begin to adapt The Last of Us Part II. Gamers famously had to wait seven years for the sequel to hit PlayStation 4 consoles in 2020. Regardless, the break between seasons 1 and 2 of the TV series won’t be nearly as long.
At a live Q&A session hosted by Deadline, series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann were asked when season 2 might get underway. And according to Druckmann, Joel and Ellie’s comeback is “months, not years” from starting production. The pair declined to reveal when the story might pick up in relation to the season 1 finale. However, Mazin basically came right out and said the new episodes would stick close to Part II’s narrative structure.
“I will say that our process of adaptation is going to be, and has been so far, exactly the same,” said Mazin. “So that means we are certainly going to be drawing very heavily from the source material, and people can draw the conclusions that they would like.”
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Season 2 will reunite headliners Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie, respectively. Nothing else is confirmed, but we can probably expect to see familiar supporting performers like Gabriel Luna (Tommy) and Rutina Wesley (Maria) as well. In the meantime, the producers still have a number of new roles to cast. That includes Abby Anderson, one of Part II’s playable characters, and Dina, Ellie’s love interest. Last month, word broke that season 2 will film in Vancouver, with the Pacific Northwest backdrop likely doubling for Seattle, a pivotal location in the sequel.
Assuming production on The Last of Us season 2 follows a timetable similar to the previous season, the new episodes will take roughly a year to shoot. In other words, an early 2025 release window seems like the safest bet.
How do you feel about the new season rolling cameras by the end of the year? Let us know in the comment section below!
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