After nine episodes of emotional devastation, the first season of HBO’s The Last of Us came to an incredibly violent end on Sunday night. Most viewers are likely aware that the first season adapted the entirety of the first game and the Left Behind DLC (with a few changes), but the creators of the show have already made it clear the story of the second game won’t fit into a single season of TV. With that in mind, what do we know about The Last of Us season 2?
Is The Last of Us returning for season 2?
Yes. HBO renewed The Last of Us for a second season less than two weeks after the first season premiered in January 2023. The show was a huge hit for the network, drawing millions of viewers and actually growing its audience nearly every week it was on the air.
“Craig and Neil, alongside EP Carolyn Strauss, and the rest of our phenomenal cast and crew, have defined a genre with their masterful debut season of The Last of Us,” said HBO EVP, head of drama series and films, Francesca Orsi. “After pulling off this unforgettable first season, I can’t wait to watch this team outshine themselves again with season two.”
Does season 2 have a release date?
No. HBO hasn’t revealed when The Last of Us will return for season 2.
HBO is rarely hesitant to let its creators take as long as they need to cook up another season of television. As such, we’re sure that creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann will be given ample time to make the second season every bit as good as the first.
Will season 2 adapt The Last of Us Part II?
Yes, but not all of it.
Mazin and Druckmann have said in several interviews that the 2020 video game The Last of Us Part II is too big for one season. They expanded on that in a recent interview with GQ.
“No. No way,” Mazin responded when GQ asked if the next season would span the entire course of the second game. “It’s more than one season,” Druckmann added.
GQ also asked if there would be two or three more seasons, but Mazin was not willing to answer the question. “You have noted correctly that we will not say how many,” he responded. “But more than one is factually correct.” He then laughed.
Without spoiling anything, The Last of Us Part II is substantially longer than the first game. The main story mode of the second game clocks in at 24 hours compared to just 15 hours for the first, according to the website HowLongToBeat. There are also several more hours’ worth of narrative-driven cutscenes in Part II, many of which will be hard to cut.
Who will be cast in The Last of Us season 2?
We already know that Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal will be back as Ellie and Joel, respectively. Providing the story doesn’t stray too far from the second game, we can also expect to see more of Gabriel Luna as Joel’s brother, Tommy, throughout season 2.
HBO has yet to share any information about casting for new characters like Dina or Abby.
Does The Last of Us season 2 have a trailer?
No, not yet. As soon as HBO releases a trailer for the second season, we’ll post it here.
