HBO has announced that the second season of its hit show “The Last of Us” is expected to enter production in early 2024. The announcement was made by HBO boss Casey Bloys during a press conference on Thursday. The production of the second season was delayed due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, resulting in the show not being included in HBO’s 2024 slate presentation. This means that the earliest possible air date for the second season would be in 2025.
“The Last of Us,” which premiered on HBO in January 2023, quickly became a popular series. Based on the PlayStation video game of the same name, the show follows the story of Joel, a smuggler played by Pedro Pascal, and Ellie, a young girl portrayed by Bella Ramsey, as they navigate a post-apocalyptic America that has been devastated by a deadly fungus. The first season received 24 Emmy nominations, including outstanding drama series, lead actor for Pascal, and lead actress for Ramsey.
Show creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin have plans to adapt the sequel of the original video game, “The Last of Us: Part II,” for the show. Druckmann told Entertainment Weekly, “We’ve outlined all of Season 2 and we’re ready to go as soon as the strike ends.” Mazin added that he submitted the script for the first episode of the second season just before the strike began.
