HBO’s biggest new drama, The Last of Us, has reached the end of its first season with huge acclaim.
Although expectations were tempered for this adaptation of the massively popular video game, the first season of The Last of Us delivered a thrilling show that stuck close to the source material.
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey were unstoppable as lead characters Joel and Ellie, resulting in a gripping tale of survival amid the apocalypse.
Promotional art for The Last of Us featuring Bella Ramsey as Ellie Williams and Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller (Credit: HBO)
With Season 1 in the rearview mirror, fans are already looking forward to what awaits in The Last of Us Season 2. Those who have played the video game sequel, dubbed The Last of Us Part II, will know that it’s a complex and difficult story to tackle.
That said, we can’t wait to see what HBO does with this controversial story. Without diving into spoilers, let’s take a look at everything we know about The Last of Us Season 2 and beyond!
Key art for The Last of Us Part II video game (Credit: Naughty Dog)
The Last of Us Broke Some Big Records
To put it lightly, The Last of Us was a mammoth win for HBO. The premiere of the show drew in 4.7 million viewers, making it one of the best debuts for HBO Max ever.
Its season finale fared even better, raking in approximately 8.2 million viewers, even though it aired on the same night as the 95th Academy Awards. To put that into perspective, The Last of Us season finale had more viewers than the Season 5 finale of Game of Thrones.
Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller and Bella Ramsey as Ellie Williams in the post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us (Credit: HBO)
According to HBO, The Last of Us Season 1 was also a huge international hit, becoming the #1 most-watched show ever on HBO Max in both European and Latin American markets.
The popular streaming device has done wonders for the HBO brand by making their content more widely available to viewers outside the United States. With all that success, HBO Max should remain a high priority for the company in the years to come.
Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller in the post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us (Credit: HBO)
But what does all of this mean for The Last of Us Season 2?
In short, it’s likely that HBO will raise the budget for each episode, as they have a habit of sinking more cash into their biggest earners. For comparison’s sake, The Last of Us Season 1 had a per-episode budget of approximately $10 million, while other shows like House of the Dragon were closer to $20 million.
Either way, we can expect The Last of Us Season 2 to have better visual effects, bigger and more grandiose sets, and some room for the cast to expand.
Bella Ramsey as Ellie Williams in the post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us (Credit: HBO)
The Cast of The Last of Us Season 2
Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (who also created the original game), the creators of The Last of Us on HBO, have insisted that the series will continue the story of the video games.
If this holds true, we should expect quite a few new characters in The Last of Us Season 2. At the very minimum, the upcoming season should feature at least five or six brand new characters.
Promotional art for The Last of Us Part II video game (Credit: Naughty Dog)
We’re especially eager to find out who will be playing the role of Abby Anderson, as this new antagonist plays a massive part in the story to come.
Many fans believe that the 23-year-old Australian actress Shannon Berry, best known as Dot Campbell on Amazon’s The Wilds, would be perfect for the role.
Others have cited that another good fit would be Katy O’Brian, who was most recently seen in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania as the rebel leader, Jentorra. The 34-year-old actress and stuntwoman has always displayed impressive physicality, which would suit the character well.
Katy O’Brian as Jentorra in the 2023 superhero film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Credit: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
In the games, there is also a 5-year time jump between The Last of Us Part I and Part II, leading to claims that key characters like Ellie might be recast.
Worry not, as the showrunners have dispelled these rumors, stating that Bella Ramsey is here to stay. It makes sense, too, as Bella Ramsey is currently 19 years old, which is the same age as Ellie in The Last of Us Part II.
When will ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 be released?
According to the show’s lead actress Bella Ramsey, it may be a while before we see a second season of “The Last of Us.”
In a March 2023 interview on “The Jonathan Ross Show,” Ramsey revealed that filming for the new season may not begin until the end of this year or the beginning of next year.
“It will be a while,” Ramsey said about the second season. “I think we’ll probably shoot at the end of this year and the beginning of next. So it’ll probably be at the end of 2024, early 2025.”
This means fans might have to wait until the end of 2024 or early 2025 to see what’s next for the hit HBO series.
Bella Ramsey as Ellie Williams in the post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us (Credit: HBO)
Will There Be a Season 3 for The Last of Us?
Once again, we won’t be diving into spoilers, but The Last of Us Part II will be a very difficult story to adapt.
Not only are there more characters and subplots to deal with, but Part II is simply a longer game. Whereas the original game offers a story that’s approximately 12 hours long, The Last of Us Part II takes nearly twice as long to finish.
To get the story right and not rush things along too much, it’s likely that HBO will expand the story into two more seasons.
Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller and Bella Ramsey as Ellie Williams in the post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us (Credit: HBO)
There’s also a bit of weight to these rumors as well, with even a few cast members commenting on the possibility.
Jeffrey Pierce, the actor who played Perry in The Last of Us on HBO (and also voiced Tommy in the games), has stated that he, too, believes that The Last of Us Season 3 is almost a guarantee.
Either way, there’s plenty more of The Last of Us to come. According to the creators, Season 2 will contain a lot more action and infected foes, ramping up the intensity in comparison to Season 1. Major cliffhangers will be settled, but the plot twists are far from over.
Bella Ramsey as Ellie Williams and Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller in the post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us (Credit: HBO)
We can’t wait to see how HBO handles the story moving forward when The Last of Us Season 2 finally premieres.