Summary
- The Last of Us Season 2 will diverge from the original game's storyline, featuring new narratives and character arcs.
- The show could end after one or two more seasons, depending on the story's complexity and potential influence from The Last of Us Part 3.
- The second season will have only seven episodes, but future seasons may explore content cut from the game and expand the plot.
The future of The Last of Us remains shrouded in mystery, as showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann tease just how long the hit series might continue. After a wildly successful debut in January 2023, The Last of Us is finally returning for its highly anticipated second season and people are wondering how much longer it can go for.
As The Last of Us gears up for a second season, Mazin and Druckmann have revealed that the series will take a different approach to its timeline. While the first season stayed largely faithful to the original game—to outrageous success, drawing nearly 32 million viewers within its first 90 days across all HBO platforms and 24 Emmy nominations—Season 2 will not follow the exact layout of The Last of Us Part 2. Instead, fans can expect some narrative shifts and restructuring. They can also expect to see the return of Pascal and Ramsey, as well as a stacked cast of new faces. Isabela Merced will step into the role of Dina, Kaitlyn Dever will play Abby, and Gabriel Luna will return as Tommy. Additional cast members include Joe Pantoliano, Alanna Ubach, Ben Ahlers, Hettienne Park, Robert John Burke, and Noah Lamanna.
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While The Last of Us Season 2 is poised to capture audiences once again, its long-term future remains uncertain. Mazin and Druckmann have always envisioned the second game’s narrative spanning more than one season, but the exact number of seasons is still up in the air. “It feels like we’ve got one or two more seasons,” Mazin shared with Variety. “It’s getting harder to make, because every episode gets big. You don’t want to wait four years for a 17-episode finish, or whatever it is.” And then there's the looming question of a potential The Last of Us Part 3 video game, which could influence the show’s trajectory. “I guess the only thing I would say is don’t bet on there being more of Last of Us. This could be it,” Druckmann hinted, suggesting that the show’s continuation could be limited.
How Long Will The Last of Us, Well, Last?
Even as Season 2 approaches, Mazin is already feeling the pressure of what comes next. “I’ve been feeling scared lately about like, ‘Oh, yeah, I have to start thinking about Season 3,’” he said. “I remember having this feeling when we were finishing Season 1, where I was like, ‘How the f-ck are we going to top this?’ Now, of course, I’m like, ‘How the f-ck are we going to top this?’” The Last of Us Part 2 is significantly larger in scope than the first game, but just how much of its story will be covered in Season 2 is still unclear.
It's worth noting that The Last of Us Season 2 will have a shorter run than its predecessor, featuring just seven episodes. This shorter episode count could make the possibility of extending the series into two additional seasons more feasible. The showrunners have also teased that the upcoming seasons will include content that was originally cut from the game, potentially adding more depth and substance to the storyline.
HBO's The Last of Us Season 2 will begin airing on Sunday, April 13, 2025.
- Release Date
- January 15, 2023
- Network
- HBO
- Showrunner
- Craig Mazin
Cast
-
Pedro PascalJoel Miller -
Bella RamseyEllie Williams
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Craig Mazin, Peter Hoar, Jeremy Webb, Ali Abbasi, Mark Mylod, Stephen Williams, Jasmila Žbanić, Liza Johnson, Nina Lopez-Corrado
- Writers
- Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin, Halley Wegryn Gross
- Franchise(s)
- The Last of Us
Source: Variety