The Last of Us Season 2: What Game It Will Cover, Cast, and Everything Else to Know

It's hard to believe that The Last of Us Season 1 only premiered this year. The somber finale of the apocalyptic drama seems to have dropped ages ago. In case you forgot: Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) were captured by the Fireflies, and Joel took extreme measures (read: killed everyone in sight) to keep Ellie alive. She is safe in the final moments of the show, but Ellie seemingly knows that Joel had lied to her about the Fireflies and their cure.

With every episode, The Last of Us Season 1 proved that video game adaptations can work. Yes, many in the genre have been lackluster in the past. But with stellar performances, extraordinary visual effects, and episodes that gave us all the feels, The Last of Us established itself as one of the best video game adaptations in the books. Lucky for us, creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have been working on a Season 2.

HBO officially renewed The Last of Us for a second season in January, and audiences — especially those of us who have not yet played Naughty Dog's PlayStation game — are eager to see what awaits the duo in Season 2. TV Guide will share everything we learn about the next chapter of the story here.

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The Last of Us Season 2 latest news

HBO boss Casey Bloys shared on Nov. 2 that The Last of Us Season 2 will begin production in early 2024, according to Variety. The publication also reported that since The Last of Us was not in the lineup for HBO's 2024 slate at the press conference, the earliest the series is expected to return is 2025.

The Last of Us Season 2 cast

It's hard to say who will appear in The Last of Us Season 2 — after all, the episodes released thus far have killed off our new favorite characters one after another. But it's safe to assume that Pascal's Joel and Ramsey's Bella will return for a second season. Fans of the game are also discussing potential casting for Abby, a key figure in The Last of Us Part II.

Asked about whether Abby has been cast in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, co-showrunner Mazin said, "Maybe." 

"The strike stopped us in our tracks. Things were in process. Look, Abby was the first role that we wanted to tackle," he said. "We've got a pretty good track record of making major cast announcements and people going, 'Really?' which will probably continue."

How much of The Last of Us Part II will Season 2 cover?

In a March 2023 interview with GQ, Mazin and Druckmann were asked whether Season 2 of the show will cover all of Part II of the game. "No, no way," Mazin said. Druckmann also told GQ that Part II will take "more than one season" to tell. When asked about the exact number of seasons it'll take to adapt Part II, however, the creators did not share. 

One thing we do know is that fans can probably expect to see more of the infected when The Last of Us returns. "It's quite possible that there will be a lot more infected later," Mazin told Variety. "And perhaps different kinds."

The Last of Us Season 2 release date prediction

Since production on The Last of Us Season 2 isn't set to begin until early 2024, it will be a while before the next installment of the series premieres. 

When filming does begin, we can look to Season 1's production timeline for an example of how long it might take: For Season 1, shooting lasted just under a year, and the season aired about six months later. We are likely looking at 2025 as the earliest possible release year for Season 2.

How to watch The Last of Us Season 1

Episodes are available to stream on Max.