'The Last Of Us' Is Getting A Season 2
The thrilling video game adaptation is HBO's second-biggest premiere ever.
Good news for zombie fans—The Last of Us is guaranteed to terrify fans for another season.
HBO announced a surprise renewal yesterday that its live-action adaptation of the video game franchise by the same name. The pickup comes only two episodes into the show's first season, but the series from Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin has already broken several records for the media giant. It's HBO's second-largest debut, only beat by the House of the Dragon premiere, and it logged a 22-percent audience jump from its first episode to its second, the biggest in the network's history.
Related article: The Crown Season 5: What We Know So Far
"I’m so grateful to [co-creator and original game developer] Neil Druckmann and HBO for our partnership, and I'm even more grateful to the millions of people who have joined us on this journey," Mazin said in a statement following the renewal news. "The audience has given us the chance to continue, and as a fan of the characters and world Neil and Naughty Dog created, I couldn't be more ready to dive back in."
The apocalyptic series takes place 20 years after a fungal outbreak marked the end of modern civilisation. After losing a loved one decades before, hardened smuggler Joel (Game of Thrones alum Pedro Pascal), is hired to transport 14-year-old Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across the country, with the simple job pointing towards the human race's only hope for survival. The show has been lauded as a must-watch both for the game's devotees—thanks to its faithful recreations of important scenes—and horror fans.
Ahead is everything we know so far about Season 2 of The Last of Us.
Related article: Only Murders In The Building Season 3: Everything We Know So Far
When will Season 2 premiere?
There's no word on when the show could return, mostly because the premiere season isn't even halfway over. Production on Season 1 took about a year and a half from the start of filming to its premiere. With that timeline, the earliest season 2 could arrive is late 2024 or early 2025.
Which cast members will return for the new season?
The Season 2 cast depends on who makes it out of this season alive—avoiding game spoilers for those of us new to TLOS—but leads Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are highly likely to return.
Where will it stream?
The Last of Us will air on HBO and stream on HBO Max. You can follow along with Season 1 here.
This article originally appeared in Harper's BAZAAR US.