“The Last of Us” Season 2 Will Likely Begin Production in Early 2024
HBO chief Casey Bloys gave us some good news at a press conference on Thursday morning—the second season for Craig Mazan and Neil Druckmann’s stellar The Last of Us is expected to enter production in early 2024.
The critically acclaimed adaptation of the video game Druckmann created for Naughty Dog was one of the best series of 2023 (and the best video game adaptation of all time), turning its two leads, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, into bonafide stars. The gripping first season, which explored a fallen world in the aftermath of a mushroom-borne virus and the journey of two survivors, Joel (Pascal) and Ellie (Ramsey), across a ravaged America in search of a cure for the plague, was the year’s first major hit. It ultimately earned 24 Emmy nominations, including for best actor and actress noms for Pascal and Ramsey and Outstanding Drama Series.
The Last of Us isn’t on HBO’s 2024 slate, which means that we’re looking at a 2025 premiere for season 2. The first season was such a massive success that it was renewed for a second before the season 1 finale aired. Season 2 will be adapted by Mazin and Druckmann from the game’s sequel, “The Last of Us: Part II.” The dual writer and actor strikes put pre-production on hold, but Druckmann and Mazin had already outlined the second season, and Mazin had submitted the first episode to HBO before the writer’s strike began, as he explained to Entertainment Weekly:
With the writer’s strike over and negotiations between the studios and actors ongoing and gaining momentum, things are looking a little brighter in the entertainment industry right now. And although The Last of Us was one of the most relentlessly intense, decidedly dark series on TV, its return to production signals would signal even brighter days ahead.
For more on The Last of Us, check out these stories:
Beyond the Craft With Emmy Nominees From “The Last of Us,” “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” & More
“The Last of Us” Cinematographer Ksenia Sereda on Shining a Light in the Darkness
Featured image: Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO
