“The Last of Us” sends us back into the mushroom apocalypse in a second season. But what will happen in the new episodes of the HBO series? We have the answer!
- US broadcaster HBO has renewed “The Last of Us” for a 2nd season.
- The new episodes are to be based on the video game “The Last of Us Part 2” and take place 5 years after the 1st season.
- Despite the ongoing Hollywood strike, filming is now scheduled to start.
The enthusiasm for “The Last of Us” spread as rapidly as the cordyceps mushroom in the series, which is why US broadcaster HBO officially ordered a sequel after just two episodes. At the end of season 1, Joel and Ellie are on their way back to Tommy after the disastrous encounter with the Fireflies. But what happens next?
The Last of Us Season 2: Release Date
Around 18 months passed between the first day of filming and the release of the first season of “The Last of Us“. As filming is now scheduled to start in early 2024, season 2 of the series will be released in 2025 at the earliest. This was stated by HBO boss Casey Bloys in an interview with Variety. Filming on the HBO series will continue and post-production will have its hands full animating the infected properly. So we will probably have to wait a little longer.
The Last of Us: Plot
Season 1 of “The Last of Us” ended with Joel completing his mission and bringing Ellie, who is immune to the fungus, to the Fireflies’ rebel camp. But when he learns that the Fireflies want to kill Ellie to find out the reason for her immunity, Joel blows a fuse and kills one Firefly after another – including Marlene.
Ellie is oblivious to all this because she is still under anesthesia and a doctor is about to tamper with her brain. Joel grabs her and doesn’t tell her afterwards what really happened. They make their way to the settlement where Joel’s brother Tommy has settled.
But what happens next? Fans of the game know that there is a big time jump in “The Last of Us Part II” and that we see Ellie as a young woman.
Game and series creator Neil Druckman and co-showrunner Craig Mazin had previously hinted that, should “The Last of Us” receive further seasons, they would adapt the plot of the game “The Last of Us Part II” and also hinted that the story should end with the end of the 2nd game.
However, it is not impossible that season 2 will close the time gap between the two games, in which a whole 5 years pass. Not only would this allow HBO to run the series for three seasons, but lead actress Bella Ramsey would also have more time to visibly age and thus play an older and more serious Ellie.
We know this from the games – warning, spoilers!
After a 5-year time jump, we see 19-year-old Ellie and Joel living in Jackson, Wyoming. During one of their routine patrols, Joel and his brother Tommy rescue a woman named Abby who is being chased by a horde of infected. They take her to a safe house run by their group, former Fireflies, now known as the Washington Liberation Front. But the WLF attack the brothers.
Ellie and her friend Dina set off in search of Tommy and Joel. Something terrible happens and the hunt for Abby begins. Among other things, they encounter the religious sect known as the Seraphites. The focus of the game is on Ellie and Dina.
The Last of Us season 2: Cast
In season 2 of “The Last of Us”, we will definitely see Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey again as Joel and Ellie. Since the two are on their way to Tommy and he also plays an important role in the second video game, his actor Gabriel Luna should also return.
If the plot from game 2 is picked up in the second season of the series, we can also expect a whole host of new characters. The roles of Abby Anderson and Dina, the latter being Ellie’s girlfriend, would be particularly important. We should also get to know Jesse (Dina’s ex-boyfriend) and Owen (Abby’s ex-boyfriend) as well as Lev and Yara, two siblings who used to be part of the Seraphite cult.
The Last of Us Season 2: Production
Neil Druckman and Craig Mazin will remain the showrunners of the successful HBO series in “The Last of Us” season 2. Season 1 was filmed in Alberta, Canada. Season 2 will probably also be filmed there.
The Last of Us Season 2: Trailer
There is still no trailer for season 2 of “The Last of Us”. We don’t expect to see the first images from the sequel until 2025 at the earliest.
