HBO’s The Last of Us could be going for quite a while.
In a recent interview with Deadline, series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann talked about the upcoming second season, which is currently filming in Vancouver, as well as plans for future seasons. Notably, Mazin seemed to heavily suggest that three seasons will be required to adapt The Last of Us Part II in its entirety.
“We don’t think that we’re going to be able to tell the story even within two seasons [2 and 3] because we’re taking our time and go down interesting pathways which we did a little bit in Season 1 too,” Mazin said. “We feel like it’s almost assuredly going to be the case that — as long as people keep watching and we can keep making more television — Season 3 will be significantly larger. And indeed, the story may require Season 4.”
Deadline notes that Mazin sounded even more “definitive” later on in the conversation. “One thing is absolutely for sure, I don’t see how we could tell the story that remains after Season 2 is complete in one more season,” he said.
Last year, Mazin said that he and Druckmann intend to produce multiple seasons to adapt The Last of Us Part II, but he was careful not to explicitly mention two. Now, though, he’s explicitly mentioning a potential fourth season.
Of course, Mazin and Druckmann acknowledge that HBO has yet to greenlight a third season, let alone a fourth. That said, The Last of Us‘ first season achieved Game of Thrones-level ratings and netted more Emmy nominations last year than any show besides Succession. Therefore, it seems likely that HBO will give Mazin and Druckmann more seasons.
As Mazin notes, The Last of Us Part II game is significantly longer and larger in scope than the first game upon which Season 1 was based. Therefore, he says he and Druckmann need the extra seasons to properly adapt the sequel. Without spoiling anything, The Last of Us Part II features two major playable characters: Ellie (once again played by Bella Ramsey in the show) and Abby (Booksmart‘s Kaitlyn Dever). Presumably, Mazin and Druckmann want to flesh out Abby’s story — which connects to a gruelling war between a militia and a religious cult — even more.
Mazin’s mention of “go[ing] down interesting pathways which we did a little bit in Season 1 too” also alludes to new material for the upcoming season(s). In the first season, an entire episode was dedicated to fleshing out Bill and Frank, characters who were barely in the game. New characters, like Melanie Lynskey’s Kathleen, were also featured.
It remains to be seen how Season 2 (and beyond) may deviate from the game. For instance, Toronto’s Catherine O’Hara is expected to be playing a new character in the second season.
Elsewhere in the interview, Mazin and Druckmann confirmed that Season 2 will be seven episodes. While Mazin noted this is shorter than the nine-episode first season, he said this was done to create a “natural breakpoint” for a potential third season.
The Last of Us Season 2 is slated to premiere on Max in the U.S. and Crave in Canada sometime in 2025.
Image credit: HBO
Source: Deadline
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