The Last of Us season 2: Release date speculation, plot and latest news
It's exceeded expectations – but will Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey be back for more?
The Last of Us season 2 has officially been confirmed – and now we have an exciting production update.
The second instalment of the show is set to enter production in early 2024, following delays caused by the actors' and writers' strikes.
The show was renewed for season 2 back in August, with executive producer Neil Druckmann, who created the game, saying at the time: "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 and crew and HBO exceeded my already high expectations.
"Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season 2! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog and PlayStation, thank you!”
And it looks like there could be more seasons on the horizon, with cast member Bella Ramsey recently telling Elle that she would come back to The Last of Us "forever".
"There’s no limits for me," she added. "They can do as many games as they like, as many series as they like, and I’ll be here, flying back out to Canada."
For now, though, we've got a second season to look forward to! Here's everything we know so far about The Last of Us season 2.
The Last of Us season 2 release date speculation
As detailed above, The Last of Us season 2 will enter production in early 2024, following delays caused by the actors' and writers' strikes.
The news was announced at a recent press conference (via Variety).
However, the show was absent from the network’s 2024 slate presentation, according to the publication, meaning it might not come out until 2025 at the earliest.
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What will The Last of Us season 2 be about?
The Last of Us season 2 will cover the events of the popular game The Last of Us Part 2, which was released in 2020.
And while fans have speculated that the new run could deviate more drastically from that game's story, co-showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have said that their way of approaching the season won't change.
Speaking to Deadline, Druckmann said: "We loved what we made. We’re very proud of it. Fans have responded very positively to it. So, for us now, it’s important to replicate the process, how Craig and I work, and how we’re going to put the show together.
"There’s some learnings and things that I feel we can make it even better going into season 2, but the pressure is usually self-imposed more from the outside, so I want to make sure we end up with something that, again, we’re proud of and does justice to the game that came before it."
Meanwhile, Mazin added: "From a process point of view, Neil and I are pretty much in agreement that we’re not changing a damn thing.
"Our process worked. We worked really well together. We adapted where we wanted to adapt, how we wanted to adapt. We stayed close to the material. Sometimes we drifted away from the material, but that process worked great. So, we’re not changing that process at all. We are going to [continue to] push ourselves in all sorts of ways."
One of the ways they will be pushing themselves is in the use of technology, with Mazin saying they're going to "keep moving the bar up and up and up". As if we couldn't get any more excited.
Meanwhile, Druckmann and Mazin have also said that the second season likely won't cover the whole of the second game, pretty much confirming that season 3 will also be happening. "It’s more than one season," Druckmann told GQ.
Mazin added: "You have noted correctly that we will not say how many. But more than one is factually correct."
Speaking about the second season, Druckmann also ComicBook.com: "It will be different. Just as this season was different.
"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."
The Last of Us is available on Sky Atlantic and NOW with an Entertainment Membership.
Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on this week.
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