The Last of Us! The long-awaited second season is officially happening and is scheduled to premiere on Max in 2025. This continuation of the story is based on the second installment of the popular video game developed by Naughty Dog for PlayStation.
The creative minds behind the show, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, have revealed some exciting details about the upcoming season. In an interview with Deadline, they disclosed that the second season will consist of seven episodes, a slightly shorter run compared to the first season’s nine episodes.
However, Mazin and Druckmann have expressed their hope to continue the series beyond the second season, potentially breaking up the video game sequel into multiple television installments. If they receive the green light for a third season, it is expected to be longer than the second.
“The source material from the second video game is much more extensive than the first,” Mazin explained. “From the beginning, we’ve been planning how to distribute the story across different seasons.” He added that the natural conclusion for the second season felt right at seven episodes, avoiding any artificial cliffhangers.
Mazin further stated,
I don’t think the story can be wrapped up in just two or three seasons, and we’re taking our time to explore interesting narrative paths, as we did in the first season. We believe it’s almost certain that we can continue, and as long as people watch the series, we’ll keep producing episodes. The third season will likely be much longer, and we may even need a fourth part.”
However, Mazin emphasized that while the series may extend beyond two seasons, they have no intention of deviating from the source material of the video games, which currently consist of two installments.
“As a fan, I’d love for there to be a third video game, but as a co-creator of the series, there’s no world in which we want the story to deviate from the original material that people know,” he assured fans, promising not to follow in the footsteps of Game of Thrones, which advanced beyond the plot of George R.R. Martin’s books.
The second season will once again feature Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as the leading duo, Joel and Ellie, respectively. Joining them are Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Merle Dandridge as Marlene, and several new additions, including Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabella Merced as Dina, and Catherine O’Hara in a guest role.
