The Last of Us Season 2 Plot: The Last of Us became a television sensation in 2023. It was yet another feather in HBO’s illustrious cap of the content-making business. Gaming aficionados lapped up the dramatization of the game, which many consider to be the “greatest of its times.” Season 1 of The Last of Us was a raging success. The announcement for renewal for a second season came as no surprise after the show finished airing. But our readers might be in for a surprise about where season 2 of The Last of Us will pick up the story from.
Creators Neil Druckman and writer Craig Mazin spoke at an event about the possibility of starting the shoot for the second season. The exclusive bits from the interaction were shared by Deadline on Twitter. Fans are buzzing after Mazin confirmed it would be “months, not years” after the events of season 1. The answer to the latter question was ambiguous, precluding us from getting a sense of where the new season could pick up from.
The ending of season 1 of The Last of Us was more or less authentic to the ending in the video game. Since that is the original source material, Mazin and Druckmann decided not to stray too far away from it. However, there might seem to be some tweaks within the series universe, given how the game picked up after the events of part 1. As far as the game is concerned, we saw Ellie grow up to become a teenager and live in a settlement with her girlfriend and a warm community.
Will Bella Ramsey reprise her role in season 2?
This is where the latest from the creators sparks an interest for us. Back in March of this year, the creators had put to rest all speculation about “recasting Bella Ramsey” as Ellie and confirmed she would be reprising her role in season 2. Following the finale, the creators said the following about Ramsey returning to the show. “We are extremely lucky to have Bella… and the only way we would ever consider recasting Bella is if she said, ‘I don’t want to work with you guys anymore…And even then, we’re not sure we would grant her that. We might force her to come back this season.”
Ramsey herself confirmed the news on the Jonathan Ross Show, saying, “I think we’ll probably shoot at the end of this year, beginning of next.” Combining these inputs, one can presume that season 2 of The Last of Us will not be set too far apart from the events of season 1. We might get to see more of Joel, and Ellie travel the deserted roads together, as opposed to the beginning of Part 2 in the video game, where Joel and Ellie do not spend too much time together.
Druckmann and Mazin also commented in the same clip, “Sometimes it will be radically different, and sometimes it will be barely different at all, but it’s going to be different, and it will be its own thing. It won’t be exactly like the game. It will be the show that Neil and I want to make. We are making it with Bella.” In an interview with Teen Vogue last month, the creators further reinforced their will to mold the show according to the creative talent at their disposal.
Mazin was quoted as saying, “There are things that are going to be added and enriched. There are some things that are going to be flipped. Our goal remains exactly what it was for the first season, which is to deliver a show that makes fans happy. We’ve got an incredible returning cast. It’s a daunting task. But Jesus, so was the first season. You can’t make everyone happy. But we’ve made a lot of people happy, and that’s our intention to do it again.”
When will season 2 of The Last of Us be released?
Given all of this buildup, we can expect the second season to have some narrative changes without disturbing the overarching storyline. It will surely be very close to the point when Joel lied to Ellie about the Fireflies and killed Marlene in cold blood. Season 2 of The Last of Us might not come out till 2024, and that is surely a downer. Pedro Pascal pointed to a similar fate for season 2 when he confirmed the chances of the season starting filming are “slim” in 2023.
