By ![the last of us season 2](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/the-last-of-us-season-2-6424411588414.jpg?crop=0.668xw:1.00xh;0.199xw,0&resize=1200:* "Los Angeles Premiere Of HBO's "The Last Of Us" - Arrivals")
*Warning: This article contains spoilers*
This year has been off to a strong start, television-wise at least. In the past few months alone, we’ve been treated to everything from Daisy Jones & The Six and the Beyoncé-inspired show Swarm, to a fabulously murder-filled You season four.
But 2023’s big breakout show has undoubtedly been The Last Of Us, HBO’s adaptation of the award-winning PlayStation video game of the same name. Taking place in a post-apocalyptic America, 20 years after civilisation has been ravaged by a mutant fungus, the show follows the story of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), as the former attempts to smuggle her out of the quarantine zone to save humanity.
Still reeling from that cliff-hanger ending? Us, too. Luckily, however, we have quite a bit of intel about what might go down in season two. Here’s everything we know so far…
Has The Last Of Us season 2 been confirmed?
Yes! The Last Of Us was so popular when it premiered on HBO in January 2023 that it was renewed for a second season before its third episode had even aired. Now that’s what we call a hit show! The adaptation of the PlayStation series quickly became one of HBO’s largest debut shows, second only to House of the Dragon in terms of viewership.
Per Variety, executive producer Neil Druckmann – who was also the writer and creative director of the original PlayStation game – was understandably delighted with the show’s success, saying: ‘I’m humbled, honoured, and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey. The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast & crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations. Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two!’
What will be the plot of The Last Of Us season 2?
Following the shock ending of season one, the fate of Joel, Ellie and humanity at large hangs in the balance – but for fans of the original game, it didn’t come as a surprise at all. The Last Of Us stayed incredibly faithful to the first PlayStation game, even recreating certain scenes down to the smallest detail.
The show’s co-creator Craig Mazin has strongly suggested he will follow suit with season two – meaning the plot is likely replicate that of the game’s Part II, which takes place five years later and centres around the now-19-year-old Ellie who is living with Joel in Jackson, Wyoming.
If you’re seriously set on ruining the entire(potential) plot for yourself, then here is a brief overview of what happens in The Last Of Us Part II. In the game, we follow Ellie on a mission of revenge after Joel is gruesomely murdered in front of her by a woman named Abby. Once their paths finally cross and Ellie meets her target, the timeline begins again – but this time, from Abby’s perspective. Part II plays with flashbacks and backstories, blurring the lines between which side is ‘good’ and ‘bad’, as Ellie struggles with losing herself to this mission of vengeance.
It’s not all bad news, however, as Mazin has also stated season two ‘will be different’ from the game’s Part II. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Mazin said: ‘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.’
This will come as a relief for fans who were worried about having to say goodbye to Joel so soon. For what would The Last Of Us be without the glorious Pedro Pascal to wonder at? Here’s hoping his survival is one of the ‘radical differences’ Mazin was talking about.
Speaking recently withGQ, showrunner Neil Druckmann also seemed to confirm that the events of Part IIwill extend over ‘more than one’ season – meaning there will hopefully be plenty more episodes of The Last Of Us on the horizon.
Who will make up the cast of The Last Of Us season 2?
Let’s be honest, here: the main question is, will we be treated to more hours of gazing at Pedro Pascal in season two? Luckily, the answer is yes. Though, as mentioned before, we’re not sure for quite how long…
Bella Ramsey is also set to return as Ellie, as far as we know – largely due to comments made by Druckmann when speaking with Entertainment Weekly. ‘The only way we would ever, ever consider re-casting Bella is if she said “I don’t want to work with you guys anymore”’, he said. ‘And even then, we’re not sure we would grant her that. We might still force her to come back to season two.’
Is there a release date for The Last Of Us season 2?
Unfortunately, we haven’t yet been given a release date for the much-anticipated season two – and sadly it looks like we still have a while to wait. Bella Ramsey told The Jonathan Ross Show earlier this year that filming hasn’t yet begun for season two, and so the show likely won’t premiere until ‘the end of 2024, early 2025’. Eek! In the meantime, we’ll be scouring the internet for clues of what to expect – and crossing our fingers that filming wraps miraculously ahead of schedule.
