Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey will return for a second season of HBO’s The Last of Us, which adapts the successful video game franchise.

The Last of Us season 2 is on its way after the action-packed first chapter of HBO’s video game adaptation, and details about where the story will go next, new cast members, and what changes the show will make from the games have already been revealed. Season 1 of the HBO’s The Last of Us proved to be a hit after Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey provided mesmerizing performances as Joel and Ellie — and there was very little doubt The Last of Us season 2 would be confirmed. The chemistry between the two is unique and believable, progressing with each episode as the main characters form a powerful bond in a post-apocalyptic world. Unlike many zombie shows and video-game adaptations alike, The Last of Us invests a lot of time in the drama of its characters, offering compelling character studies that lead up to a memorable (and quite shocking) finale.

The season 1 finale sets up The Last of Us season 2 in many ways, starting with Joel’s shocking dilemma where he chose to prioritize Ellie’s life over humanity after he discovers the Fireflies plan to kill her in order to create a cure. While Joel kills many people trying to stop him in the hospital, it seems that his actions will have consequences as one Firefly did manage to escape his wrath. Given that the Last of Us II takes place five years in the future, it’ll be interesting to see how the writers and showrunners will adapt the source material again for The Last of Us season 2 (especially since the sequel game has more stories to tell).

The Last Of Us Season 2 Latest News

One key detail for The Last of Us season 2, at least as far as those who know the games have been concerned, is the casting of a specific character from the second game — Abby. Abby was both an antagonist and playable character in The Last of Us Part II, and as such there’s been a great deal of speculation when it comes to who will play Abby in The Last of Us season 2. The actor playing Abby still hasn’t been publicly announced, but The Last of Us creator Craig Mazin did provide an update in September 2023. According to Mazin, Abby has already been cast in The Last of Us season 2, but exactly who’s been selected to bring the brutal villain to live in live-action is a closely guarded secret.

While this tease may be a little frustrating for some, there is context to why the Abby casting in The Last Of Us season 2 isn’t revealed. Production on The Last of Us season 2 is currently halted due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. It’s likely that, due to these constraints, Craig Mazin and whoever is playing Abby couldn’t reveal the casting even if they wanted to. When speaking to LA Times about Abby’s place in The Last of Us season 2 Mazin was tight-lipped about any specific details, only revealing that she’ll be a rival to Ellie.

The Last Of Us Season 2 Is Confirmed

The Last of Us‘ immediate success couldn’t have pointed at a different outcome: shortly after the show’s episode 2 premiere, The Last of Us season 2 was officially renewed by HBO. It looks like there aren’t any major changes in the writing room either as Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have already begun talking about their plans for season 2 and beyond.

The Last Of Us Season 2 Release Info

There is still no solid information about The Last of Us season 2 release date, but some might be able to guess the release date based on how long season 1 production took. Starting in January 2021, season 1 of The Last Of Us took over a year to film, with it wrapping in June 2022. It took a few more months to create a final product as the special and visual effects team worked hard to create the Cordyceps Clickers and the animations.

Pedro Pascal himself suggested that there is a possibility it might start in late 2023, which was backed up by Bella Ramsey. There was also a tease of the release window for The Last of Us season 2, and it could likely come in late 2024 or early 2025. The news about the filming locations would suggest that the timeline could be pushed up with filming starting by mid-2023. Craig Mazin confirmed that production dates have not yet been affected by the Hollywood WGA and SAG strikes, though if they continue much longer that will change.

The Last Of Us Season 2 Cast

The Last of Us season 2 cast will feature the two returning stars. After they proved to be a hit, both Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are back following their respective Emmy nominations. While there had been questions around whether Ramsey could be recast due to the five-year jump that occurs in The Last of Us Part II, Mazin quickly dispelled these rumors in early The Last of Us season 2 news, stating that they were continuing to plan season 2 with Ramsey in mind (via Deadline). With Joel and Ellie also returning to Jackson at the end of The Last of Us, Gabriel Luna has also hinted that he will be returning in season 2 to play Tommy. As he is married to Maria, it is likely that Rutina Wesley will return as well.

With many more stories told in The Last of Us Part II, Mazin and Dreckmann will also introduce some new (and important faces) to season 2. While Mazin did admit in an interview with Collider that they haven’t finalized anything just yet, there is a possibility that Abby (The Last of Us Part II antagonist who has not yet been cast for the show) may not make a significant appearance in season 2 since they want to spend time exploring the missing years in the time jump. With her already making a brief cameo in episode 6 of The Last of Us, Dina may also make an appearance — although who will play her is still up for debate.

As several The Last of Us voice actors, including Ashley Johnson, Troy Baker, Merle Dandrige, Jeffrey Pierce, and Laura Bailey, all made brief appearances in the live-action version as well (mainly cast in minor or supporting roles), there is a chance that a few other voice actors from the game could appear in future episodes too. Patrick Fugit who played Edgar in The Last of Us II admitted he would want to join the show but as a different character while Emily Swallow, who played Emily, also expressed a desire to appear.

The Last Of Us Season 2 Story Details

The Last of Us season 2 story details reveal that some parts of season 2 will explore the events in-between Part I and Part II, there is a possibility that viewers will see what happens to Joel and Ellie’s relationship in the aftermath of Episode 9 and their changing dynamics. While in the game, Joel’s death occurs very early on, he may live quite a bit longer in The Last of Us season 2 in order to explore the new character dynamic. With them also promising to show new deadly Cordyceps variant stages, it’s likely that the show’s lore will be explored more too. While Druckmann and Mazin may have made a few changes to the source material, it’s likely that The Last of Us season 2 will eventually come back or set up the conflict between Abby, Ellie, and Joel.

While on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Mazin did put to bed one rumor about a season 2 character. Fans thought that Abby, still to be cast for The Last Of Us season 2, made a cameo as a Firefly in the hospital at the end of the season because of her braided hair back in a ponytail. Mazin responded to that particular fan theory with, “I can confirm that she was not. That was just one of the Fireflies that happened to have a ponytail. A lot of people have ponytails, so that was not Abby.”

The Last Of Us Season 2 Trailer

While there will not be a The Last of Us season 2 trailer for quite some time as filming has yet to begin, there is already a poster. Following the finale of season 1, Neil Druckmann shared a cryptic poster featuring a hand holding a hammer. This led many people to assume this was a tease of Abby joining season 2 of the show. Dropping such a big hint so early on is a great way to get fans excited as they prepare for the long wait until the premiere and follow The Last of Us season 2 updates.