The Last of Us | |
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Season 2 | |
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Original network | HBO |
Season chronology | |
The second season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us is set to premiere on HBO in early 2025. Based on the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog, the series is set twenty years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and collapses society. The second season, based on the 2020 game The Last of Us Part II , follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) five years after the events of the first season, and introduces Abby (Kaitlyn Dever).
HBO renewed The Last of Us for a second season less than two weeks after the series premiere aired in January 2023. Series co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann were joined in the writers' room by Halley Gross and Bo Shim; Druckmann wrote and co-directed the video games, and Gross co-wrote Part II. The season was filmed in British Columbia from February to August 2024. Druckmann, Mazin, and Peter Hoar returned as directors, alongside newcomers Kate Herron, Nina Lopez-Corrado, Mark Mylod, and Stephen Williams. The season is expected to span seven episodes.
HBO renewed The Last of Us for a second season on January 27, 2023, less than two weeks after the premiere of the first season. [20] While the first season covers the events of Naughty Dog's video game The Last of Us (2013) and its downloadable expansion The Last of Us: Left Behind (2014), [21] the second season is set to cover the sequel, The Last of Us Part II (2020). Druckmann and Mazin wanted to avoid filler between the games. [22] Part II is expected to span multiple seasons, [23] and Mazin does not want the series to overtake the games. [24] While writing the first season, Mazin and Druckmann ensured characters remained true to their developments in Part II in case the show received more seasons. [25]
Upon the season's renewal, HBO named the returning executive producers as Mazin, Druckmann, Carolyn Strauss, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Rose Lam. [20] Jacqueline Lesko, who co-executive produced the first season, was named an executive producer in March 2023, [26] followed by Cecil O'Connor, who produced the first season, by February 2024, replacing Lam. [16] [27] In January 2024, Druckmann, Mazin, and Peter Hoar were announced as returning directors from the first season, alongside newcomers Kate Herron, Nina Lopez-Corrado, Mark Mylod, and Stephen Williams. [28] In June, Mazin and Druckmann revealed the season would consist of seven episodes, one of which was set to be "quite big" in runtime. [10]
Casting for the second season was put on hold in May 2023 due to the Writers Guild of America strike; actors had been auditioning with scenes from The Last of Us Part II due to an absence of scripts. [29] The production team wanted to start the second season's casting with Abby; Mazin suggested and the Los Angeles Times reported the role had been cast before the strike. [30] [31] [32] According to journalist Jeff Sneider, Dever was in talks to play Abby in November, following the response to her performance in No One Will Save You (2023); [33] her casting was announced on January 9, 2024, [12] followed by Mazino's as Jesse on January 10, [13] and Merced's as Dina on January 11. [14] O'Hara's casting was announced on February 2, [16] followed by Ramirez, Barer, Gabrielle, and Lord's on March 1, [15] and Wright's on May 24. [18]
A writers' room for the second season was established in Los Angeles by February 2023, [34] with Mazin and Druckmann joined by Halley Gross, who co-wrote Part II with Druckmann, and Bo Shim, a new writer. [35] Druckmann worked with Mazin on the second season's story during the development of The Last of Us Part II Remastered (2024), which he felt provided an opportunity to revisit the narrative's intricacies and analyze story decisions. [36] Scripts were being written by April, [37] with a full season outline mapped, [35] but writing was impacted by the writers' strike in May; [29] Mazin had only written and submitted the first episode about 90 minutes before the strike began, [38] and neither he nor Druckmann worked on the series while the strike was ongoing. [29] Instead, Mazin would mentally outline scenes while taking walks, described as "brain-writing", as he planned to quickly complete scripts after the strike to ensure a smooth production schedule. [35] The second season is set to feature themes of revenge, in contrast to the first season's unconditional love; Druckmann felt it was a "continuation of love from the first season, and this is just the dark side of that coin". [10]
The second season was filmed primarily in British Columbia. [37] [44] Delayed by the writers' and actors' strikes, [38] principal photography began on February 12, 2024, [45] [46] running under the working title Mega Sword. [47] Mazin directed his episode first; [48] the first day of production involved Ramsey and Merced. [49] A building in Kamloops was dressed to replicate the in-game Greenplace Market in February. [39] [40] Production took place in Calgary, Alberta—where the first season was partly filmed—on March 5–6, [50] [51] before moving to Mission, Fort Langley, and Langley, expected to replicate parts of Jackson, Wyoming. [51] [52] [53] Mazin's episode neared completion by March 12. [48] [54] Production returned to Alberta for ten days from March 18, with filming in Exshaw and along Highway 1A from March 21–24 requiring snow and a 72-hour partial highway closure. [55] HBO denied rumors that Pascal had finished filming for the season in March. [56]
Mylod directed after Mazin in February, [54] [57] followed by Herron and Hoar in April, [58] [59] Williams and Druckmann in May, [60] [61] and Lopez-Corrado in July. [62] Catherine Goldschmidt worked as cinematographer alongside Mylod, Herron, and Lopez-Corrado for episodes 2, 4, and 7, [63] [64] and Ksenia Sereda returned to work alongside Druckmann. [65] Several town buildings were constructed in Britannia Beach for production in April. [41] Filming occurred in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside—expected to replicate a post-apocalyptic Seattle as featured in the game—with soldiers and military vehicles on May 4, [66] [53] and with Ramsey and Merced on horseback on May 11; [67] [68] [69] production was planned late, with some businesses given four days' notice. [70]
Preparatory production work began in Nanaimo on April 22, with road closures from April 29. [71] [72] Around six minutes of footage was filmed from May 13–14, [73] featuring Ramsey and Merced on horseback, expected to be set around Seattle's Capitol Hill and its fictional Serevena Hotel. [74] [75] The horse used in production, named Jazzway, previously featured in the television series The 100 (2014–2020) and film Jurassic World Dominion (2022). [76] Several businesses were closed during filming and compensated by the production, [71] and some surrounding businesses saw an increase in shoppers and online traffic. [77] The crew vacated Nanaimo by May 31, [71] [76] and the city was set to be gifted for its involvement in the series. [78] Filming occurred on a private property at Minaty Bay in Britannia Beach across five days—June 5, 7, 12, 13, and July 2—with smoke and flame pyrotechnics present. [79] [80] Filming took place in Chinatown, Vancouver on July 8, with Ramsey, Merced, and the fictional Seraphites in a recreation of Seattle. [81] [82] [83] Druckmann's episode completed production by July 9. [65]
Filming returned to Downtown Eastside on July 12, and moved to Stanley Park on July 13 and Downtown Vancouver on July 25. [85] [42] A section of Harbour Green Park in Coal Harbour was closed from July 25–27 for production, featuring several abandoned cars and foliage. [42] [86] Filming occurred in New Westminster on July 28, at the Orpheum theatre on July 29, [87] and around Cordova and Cambie Streets in Gastown from August 9–13. [43] [88] The season's wrap party took place on August 18, [89] and principal photography was set to conclude August 21, [57] several weeks before September 9 as originally scheduled; [90] it finished on August 23. [91] Additional photography took place in Downtown Vancouver—including the exterior of the Guinness Tower and Oceanic Plaza—from September 13–17, featuring a convoy of military vehicles. [84] [92] [93] The production office closed on September 27. [91]
Timothy A. Good and Emily Mendez are set to return as editors for the second season. [89] [94]
In December 2023, HBO announced the second season is set to premiere on its television network and streaming service Max in 2025; [95] according to Casey Bloys, the chairman and chief executive officer of HBO and Max, it is expected to air in the first half of the year—sometime between March and June—during the eligibility window for the following Emmy Awards. [96] [97] HBO shared the first images of Pascal and Ramsey on May 15, 2024, [98] and the first footage from the season—featuring Dever, Merced, O'Hara, and Wright—on August 4, alongside the finale of House of the Dragon 's second season. [99] [100] For The Last of Us Day on September 26, HBO released the season's synopsis, posters by Greg Ruth of Joel, Ellie, and Abby, and the first teaser trailer, set to Pearl Jam's "Future Days", which was a pivotal song in Part II. [5] [101] [102] New footage was released on November 12, alongside The Penguin 's finale. [103]
Craig Mazin is an American writer, director, and producer. He is best known for creating, writing, and producing the HBO historical disaster drama miniseries Chernobyl (2019) and co-creating, co-writing, and executive producing the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us (2023–present), the latter alongside Neil Druckmann. He has won two Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special and Outstanding Limited Series.
Neil Druckmann is an Israeli-American writer, creative director, designer, and programmer. He is the studio head and head of creative of the video game developer Naughty Dog, and is best known for his work on the game franchises Uncharted and The Last of Us, having co-created the latter.
Ellie is a character in the video game series The Last of Us by Naughty Dog. She is portrayed by Ashley Johnson through motion capture and voice acting; in the television adaptation, she is portrayed by Bella Ramsey. In the first game, The Last of Us (2013), Joel Miller is tasked with escorting a 14-year-old Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States in an attempt to create a cure for an infection to which Ellie is immune. While players briefly assume control of Ellie, the artificial intelligence primarily controls her actions. Ellie reappeared as the playable character in the downloadable content prequel The Last of Us: Left Behind, in which she spends time with her friend Riley. In The Last of Us Part II (2020), players control a 19-year-old Ellie as she seeks revenge on Abby.
"Endure and Survive" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series co-creator Craig Mazin and directed by Jeremy Webb. It was released online on HBO Max and HBO on Demand on February 10, 2023, ahead of its broadcast on HBO on February 12. In the episode, Joel and Ellie agree to escape Kansas City, Missouri, with Henry and his brother Sam, who are being hunted by bandit leader Kathleen and her second-in-command Perry.
Joel Miller is a character in the video game series The Last of Us by Naughty Dog. In the games, he is portrayed by Troy Baker through motion capture and voice acting; in the television adaptation, he is portrayed by Pedro Pascal. In the first game, The Last of Us (2013), Joel serves as the main protagonist and is tasked with escorting the young Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States in an attempt to create a potential cure for an infection to which Ellie is immune. He also appears briefly in the downloadable content campaign The Last of Us: Left Behind (2014). Joel is killed in The Last of Us Part II (2020) by a woman named Abby, whose father he had killed in the first game, prompting Ellie to seek revenge.
Halley Wegryn Gross is an American screenwriter and former actress. She is best known for writing two 2016 episodes of the HBO series Westworld and co-writing the 2020 video game The Last of Us Part II.
The Last of Us is an American post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for HBO. Based on the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog, the series is set twenty years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and causes the collapse of society. The first season, based on 2013's The Last of Us, follows Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting the immune teenager Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States. The second season, expected to partly adapt 2020's The Last of Us Part II, is set five years later and introduces Abby.
The Last of Us is an action-adventure video game series and media franchise created by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The series is set in a post-apocalyptic United States ravaged by cannibalistic humans infected by a mutated fungus in the genus Cordyceps. It follows several survivors, including Joel, a smuggler who lost his daughter during the outbreak; Ellie, a young girl who is immune to the infection; and Abby, a soldier who becomes involved in a conflict between her militia and a religious cult. The games use a third-person perspective in which the player fights against hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures with firearms, improvised weapons, and stealth.
"When You're Lost in the Darkness" is the series premiere of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. Written by series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann and directed by Mazin, the episode aired on HBO on January 15, 2023. The first episode of the first season, it introduced Joel and his daughter Sarah during the chaos of a global pandemic outbreak caused by a mutated form of the Cordyceps fungus that turns its victims into bloodthirsty attackers. Twenty years later, Joel and Tess set out to find Joel's brother Tommy and are tasked with smuggling the young Ellie in exchange for supplies.
"Infected" is the second episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. It was written and directed by series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, respectively; Druckmann wrote and co-directed the 2013 video game on which the series is based. The episode aired on HBO on January 22, 2023. In the episode, Joel and his partner Tess escort the young Ellie through a biological contamination area in Boston to reach the Massachusetts State House.
"Long, Long Time" is the third episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series co-creator Craig Mazin and directed by Peter Hoar. It aired on HBO on January 29, 2023. In the episode, Joel and Ellie travel to Lincoln, Massachusetts, to find Bill. Flashbacks follow Bill over twenty years as he survives in his town and meets his partner Frank. The episode's title is taken from the 1970 song by Linda Ronstadt, which plays an important role in Bill and Frank's relationship.
"Please Hold to My Hand" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series co-creator Craig Mazin and directed by Jeremy Webb. It aired on HBO on February 5, 2023. In the episode, Joel and Ellie encounter an ambush in Kansas City, Missouri. Elsewhere in the city, bandit leader Kathleen, her second-in-command Perry, and their group search for Henry and his brother Sam.
"Kin" is the sixth episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series co-creator Craig Mazin and directed by Jasmila Žbanić. It aired on HBO on February 19, 2023. In the episode, Joel and Ellie travel to Jackson, Wyoming, where they find Joel's brother Tommy and his wife Maria.
"Left Behind" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series co-creator Neil Druckmann and directed by Liza Johnson. It aired on HBO on February 26, 2023. In the episode, Ellie searches for supplies to save Joel. A flashback follows Ellie as she spends time with her best friend Riley Abel in Boston.
"When We Are in Need" is the eighth episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series co-creator Craig Mazin and directed by Ali Abbasi. It aired on HBO on March 5, 2023. In the episode, Ellie attempts to protect Joel. She encounters a group of survivors led by a preacher, David, who wants vengeance against Joel and shows interest in Ellie.
The first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us was originally broadcast on HBO between January and March 2023. Based on the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog, the series is set twenty years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and collapses society. The first season, based on the 2013 game The Last of Us, follows Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting the immune teenager Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States.
"Look for the Light" is the ninth and final episode of the first season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, and directed by Ali Abbasi. It aired on HBO on March 12, 2023. In the episode, Joel and Ellie arrive in Salt Lake City, Utah, in search for the hospital run by the Fireflies, led by Marlene. A flashback follows Ellie's mother, Anna, as she gives birth.
The Last of Us, an American post-apocalyptic drama television series for HBO based on the video game franchise, focuses on the relationship between Joel and Ellie. The first season, based on the 2013 game, is set in 2023, twenty years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and collapses society. Joel, a smuggler, is tasked with escorting the immune teenager Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States.
The music for the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us was composed by Gustavo Santaolalla and David Fleming. Santaolalla composed the music for the video game franchise on which the series is based, including The Last of Us (2013) and The Last of Us Part II (2020). Several of Santaolalla's tracks from the video games were reused throughout the series; his work on the series focused on recrafting his previous work, while Fleming created original music inspired by real-world sounds within a decayed civilization.