The Last of Us Season 2: Expected Release, Cast, Plot & More

The series finale of “The Last of Us” may raise questions about Joel’s choices and his humanity, but it also takes away a weekly dose of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey’s emotionally wrenching misadventures. Fortunately, there is more to their story than that; HBO has launched its second season, which creator Neil Druckman has confirmed will follow the events of 2020’s The Last of Us: Part II. Craig Mazin, who directed several episodes of The Last of Us, previously said that if enough people tune in to watch the first season, a sequel could be adapted. All nine episodes have now been released, breaking records and becoming critical and commercial successes.

According to HBO, the finale of “The Last of Us” drew 8.2 million viewers at the same time, despite competing with the 2023 Oscars. “Find the Light” Episode 9 slightly broke last week’s record of 8.1 million viewers and represents a 75% increase in traffic from the series premiere of 4.7 million viewers. The numbers are calculated based on Nielson and first-party data from HBO Max and network TV shows, and now average 30.4 million viewers through its first six episodes. Note that this does not include Disney+ Hotstar viewers.

HBO content like The Last of Us will no longer be available on Disney+ Hotstar from March 31

With the second season confirmed and the co-creators revealing new information about it in an interview with GQ, here’s everything you need to know about The Last of Us season 2:

The Last of Us Season 2 Expected Release Window

The second season of The Last of Us is two episodes after the first, which is a symbol of HBO’s faith in this video game adaptation. In an interview, manager Pascal said that filming for Season 2 could begin this year, and given HBO’s experience with high-profile shows, we can expect Season 2 to drop in 2024.

Speaking to The Washington Post earlier this year, creator Craig Mazin said that The Last of Us Season 1 took 200 days to shoot, following a “feature-like production schedule.” , he learned. its drama series 2019 Chernobyl. According to Mazin, the team spent 18-19 days perfecting each episode, unlike network television, which requires turning 7-8 script pages per day. “We shot 18-19 days per episode – two and a half pages a day, maybe three,” he said in an interview. It took months of extra work to get the special effects right. Filming began in July 2021 in Alberta, Canada.

The Last of Us Season 1 Review

Co-creator Craig Mazin was committed to telling the story of The Last of Us in just nine episodes.
Photo credit: HBO

The tone and manner of The Last of Us Season 2

Despite the size and scope of the original 2013 video game, Mazin wanted to tell the story to a television audience in exactly nine episodes. The slow process involved Druckman, the original writer, giving many ideas about what tradition to keep and any deviations from the original.

However, The Last of Us: Part II is much longer with brutal action sequences that drive the story forward, exploring the tragedy of revenge and the human capacity for forgiveness. It’s all tied directly to the actual in-game conflicts, so unlike the first season, it can be difficult to deliver random action. Speaking to GQ, the writers confirmed that the events of Part II will take more than one season. When Mazin paused before discussing the ending of the arc with Season 3 – hinting at the possibility of a sequel – he noted that some events in the series could be completely changed from the game.

“There are things that are different, and there are things that are the same. There are things that can be added and enriched. There are things that can be reversed,” he said in an interview. “Our goal is the same as the first season, which is to make a show that makes fans happy.”

One of the complaints from The Last of Us season 1 was the lack of infected (zombie) clickers compared to the game. they noted how much they enjoyed these meetings.’ Without spoiling too much, he promises “exciting things” to come in Season 2 of The Last of Us.

Season 1 of The Last of Us lacked extra clicks and action sequences
Photo credit: HBO

The cast of “The Last of Us” season 2

The two main characters, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, will reprise their roles as Joel and Ellie in The Last of Us season 2. Speaking to Elle magazine earlier this year, Ramsey said she would love to play Ellie “forever” if allowed. . Co-creator Druckman has a similar take on the subject, reprising Ramsey only if he no longer wants to play the role. “We’re very lucky to have Bella…and if she says, ‘I don’t want to work with you guys anymore,’ that would be the only way we would ever consider rebuilding Bella,” he told TheWrap earlier this week. “Even so, we’re not sure we’re going to give it to him. We can turn it around this season.

Although Ramsey’s casting as Ellie was initially criticized by fans – as her face did not match the character in the game – the general consensus has grown to favor her portrayal. The only concern – albeit a small one – is that Ramsey might look too young for Ellie’s arc in The Last of Us II, despite being the same age in real life – 19. hair and wrinkles.

Although it hasn’t been confirmed, Gabriel Luna will return in the sequel as Joel’s brother Tommy, along with Rutina Wesley as his wife Maria, who will play important roles in the 2020 game. There is currently no word on new characters for The Last of Us Season 2.

The casting of Bella Ramsey as Ellie was initially met with criticism
Photo credit: HBO

The Last of Us Season 2 Plot

The critically acclaimed but polarizing sequel The Last of Us II is set four years after the first game, suggesting that the second season will also begin with a time jump. Ellie is now 19 years old and continues to live in Jackson, Wyoming, Joel, Tommy and her girlfriend Dina watch her shyly from behind a pillar before yelling at Dina, who is briefly teased in episode 8 “When We Need You”. However, her relationship with Joel is somewhat strained due to the events of the first game/season finale, where Ellie continues to suspect that Joel was telling the truth about what happened at the Fireflies base.

Spoilers ahead for The Last of Us season 1 finale: In The Last of Us season 1 finale, Joel (Pascal) and Ellie (Ramsey) finally make their way to Firefly Base, after which the latter undergoes surgery so the Cordyceps chemical messenger that makes her immune can be suppressed, multiplied, and used. to make a cure. Unfortunately, Cordyceps grows inside the brain, which means Ellie will die in surgery. Now having a fatherly relationship with her, Joel retaliates against the Firefly soldiers before going to the pediatric operating room to save her. There are three people inside: a doctor and two nurses. The former grabs the knife in self-defense, and Joel, delirious with pain and determination, puts a cap on the doctor’s head, takes it, and leaves with a heavily sedated Ellie. What he doesn’t know is that this last, needless murder has opened a whole Pandora’s box that he shouldn’t have.

Spoilers for The Last of Us II: If Druckman and Mazin want to follow up on The Last of Part II, I’d bet that Joel will have much less screen time in Season 2 because he dies. It turns out that the aforementioned doctor had a child named Abby Anderson, who is trying to get revenge on Joel for her father’s death – and as a sad Ellie is forced to witness it all, she brutally beats her to death with a golf club. This begins a back-and-forth revenge story, with the player periodically taking control of Ellie and Abby, often following the same paths and offering different perspectives on each character. It’s unclear how the writers intended to handle character changes in the series — a feature that’s easily accomplished in a video game — but Mazin says they’ve got it covered.

Abby the Avenger in The Last of Us Part II
Photo Credit: Naughty Dog

Personally, I think Oscar-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu would be a great candidate to direct at least some of the episodes, given his track record of telling stories that tie together over time like Babel and 21 Grams. .

“I think we know what we’re doing here. I say this not with sarcasm, but with hope,” he said in an interview with GQ. “We have an amazing returning cast. It’s hard work. But Jesus, the first season too. You can’t make everyone happy. Joel’s death in The Last of Us Part II and its message of revenge and forgiveness have angered fans, making it one of the most polarizing titles in gaming history. Video game. The game was bombarded with reviews on aggregator websites, with some complaining about its politics and LGBTQ+ characters.

“I do not care. How they act, how they act, is beyond our control. So how do we make the best TV version of this story? This is the problem we are struggling with. every day,” Druckmann said of the backlash to the game and how that translates to his work on The Last of Us Season 2.

Fun fact to wrap up: One of the nurses in The Last of Us finale was played by Laura Bailey, who originally provided the voice and motion capture for Abby in The Last of Us II. It’s hard to tell on the show because she’s wearing a surgical mask, but some secrets are out. behind the scenes pictures after the episode aired.

All nine episodes of The Last of Us Season 1 are available on Disney+ Hotstar and HBO Max in India.

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