Closing claps for The Last of Us! After a first season full of emotions, will the series adaptation of the famous video game get a second season? Discover all the information about what to expect.
Awaited by fans of the famous video game, The Last of Us was the serial phenomenon of the beginning of 2023. With record ratings from week to week, the TV adaptation was a hit that caused many reactions, both from fans and newcomers.
After a first season filled with twists and video game references, The Last of Us ended with its tragic and controversial ending, drawing nearly 8.2 million viewers in the United States, according to Deadline.
Will the series return for a second round of episodes? What is the first information on the continuation of the adventures of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey)?
Season 2 confirmed!
It’s no longer a secret for the majority of fans, but if this has eluded you, know that The Last of Us has indeed been renewed for a second season, and very early in the airing! In fact, HBO announced the good news after the second episode aired!
Is season 2 filming coming up?
After such success, fans will be eagerly awaiting the sequel to The Last of Us, but will have to be patient knowing that it has taken almost two years to put together the first season of the series. But Pedro Pascal hinted that production of this second set of episodes could start sooner than expected.
During an interview for The Mandalorian promotion, Collider’s editor asked Joel’s interpreter if there was a chance for The Last of Us crew to start filming Season 2 this year. To which he replied: “In 2023? Oh, what season are we in now? Are we approaching spring? Yes, there is a chance, yes.”
More seasons coming?
So what to expect in Season 2 of The Last of Us? Quite simply about the plot of the second part of the video game work The Last of Us: Part II, released in 2020. But this story is much more adaptable than the first game. In fact, it takes just under 20 hours to complete The Last of Us: Part I and the DLC (DLC) Left Behind (equivalent to Episode 7 of the series).
HBO
To complete the adventure of The Last of Us: Part II it takes a little under 30 hours depending on whether you jump into the heap or if you are a conscientious player searching every nook and cranny and getting the 100% want to complete game. So showrunners Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann (also creator of the video game franchise) have a simple solution: the second game will be adapted over several seasons!
This is hardly surprising considering The Last of Us: Part II’s plot is more complex than the first game, with more characters, flashbacks and settings. When GQ asked Neil Druckmann if season 2 would cover the entire second game, he simply replied: “No. Certainly not. It lasts more than one season”.
That means The Last of Us will have at least three seasons! Or more ? Craig Mazin expressed doubts: “You noticed that we won’t say how many. But more than one season is factually correct.”
Bella Ramsey is back!
Given that there’s a five-year time jump between The Last of Us: Part I and The Last of Us: Part II, some fans have wondered if the show’s teams are considering a casting switch for Ellie and themselves like saying goodbye to Bella Ramsey.
This is not the case as Craig Mazin stated during a press conference via Entertainment Weekly that Bella Ramsey will be present in Season 2 of the series which will be “very different and not exactly like the game”: “This will be the series that Neil and I want to do. But we’ll do it with Bella.”
HBO
Added Neil Druckmann: “The only valid reason for us to recast the character played by Bella would be if she told us she didn’t want to work with us anymore. And even then, we’re not sure we’d give her that. We could still force them to come back for season two.”
More infected!
This is one of the most common criticisms from fans of The Last of Us video games, since the series contains few fight scenes against infected. The first season showed us Runners, Stalkers, Slappers, and a Colossus, but there are other, even more terrifying types of infected.
The Last of Us: what are the different types of infected
Craig Mazin explained to Variety this script choice, which consists of favoring story and character development rather than chaining together combat and action sequences that are inherent and essential to a player’s experience:
“There’s less action than some people wanted because we couldn’t necessarily find meaning for a lot of it, or we were afraid it would be repeated. After all, you are not in a player experience, you are in a viewer experience. And a lot of people enjoy watching the gameplay, but it needs to be a little more focused and useful when we show it on TV.”
But rest assured viewers, there will be many more infected – and maybe even the spores! – in the second season! At least that’s what Craig Mazin hinted at: “There will be further development of the universe of The Last of Us. It is quite possible that there will be many more infected later on. And it can even be different types.”
As they wait to discover this second season of The Last of Us, fans are still recovering from the final episode of season one. This controversial ending sparks debate, but is the crucial trigger that opens the second video game, The Last of Us: Part II, which not only continues the story of Ellie, but also shows the inevitable consequences of choosing Joel.
The Last of Us series is available in full on Prime Video.