The highly anticipated second season of the American post-apocalyptic drama series, The Last of Us, is scheduled to debut on HBO in 2025. HBO has shared the first look at its teaser trailer.
The series, based on the acclaimed video game franchise created by Naughty Dog, is set two decades into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection that transforms humans into zombie-like creatures, leading to the collapse of society. This season will adapt the events of the 2020 game, The Last of Us Part II, and continue the journey of Joel and Ellie, portrayed by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
The small teaser trailer provided a look at many of the new characters in Season 2 including Kaitlyn Dever as Abby and Seraphites, who are the major antagonists of the new season.
HBO renewed The Last of Us for a second season shortly after the series premiere in January 2023. The series co-creators, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, are joined in the writers’ room by Halley Gross and Bo Shim. Druckmann, the writer and co-director of the video games, and Gross, who co-wrote Part II, ensure a faithful adaptation.
The returning directors for the new season include Druckmann, Mazin, and Peter Hoar, along with newcomers Kate Herron, Nina Lopez-Corrado, Mark Mylod, and Stephen Williams. The season is expected to consist of seven episodes, with at least one episode expected to have an extended runtime.
While the first season covered the events of the original The Last of Us, the second season will adapt The Last of Us Part II. Druckmann and Mazin have expressed their intention to avoid filler content and maintain a faithful representation of the game’s narrative. This season is expected to span multiple seasons to fully explore the complex storylines and character developments introduced in Part II.