Certain parts of The Last of Us season 2 may be influenced by unused The Last of Us Part II level designs.

Per Entertainment Weekly, co-showrunner Neil Druckmann talked about the newly-announced PlayStation 5 remastering of Part II, which will feature additional “Lost Levels” sequences that were ultimately dropped from the PlayStation 4 title. He additionally revealed that, “at least one element from a cut level that is planned [for] the show,” though Druckmann stressed, “I say that with the caveat that we haven’t started filming the show yet and all things are subject to change based on what we ultimately feel will be best for the show.”

Naughty Dog Director Says The Last Of Us Game Still in Active Development (in Mario Post)

Contrary to rumors, the multiplayer of The Last Of Us is neither frozen nor canceled — at least according to a post from Naughty Dog’s game director.

As for the Lost Levels themselves, the Naughty Dog co-president described their inclusion as “a new attempt from us to lift the curtain on the development process, and I hope players appreciate the insight into what did and didn’t make it into the final game.” Known levels, as seen in the PS5 game’s marketing, includes an armed Ellie following a trail of blood and walking through what Druckmann called, “an extended party scene in Jackson that offers more insight into Ellie’s life in town.”

The Last of Us Is Expected to Film Season 2 in Early 2024

Prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike ending, HBO Chairman and CEO Casey Bloys revealed that production on The Last of Us season 2 is expected to begin sometime in early 2024. According to showrunner Craig Mazin, he and Druckmann “were able to map out all of season 2,” even writing up the season premiere’s script right before the now-concluded Writers Guild of America strike began. It’s currently unclear how much of The Last of Us Part II‘s story — which received both widespread critical acclaim and backlash for key narrative choices involving Ellie and co-protagonist Joel — will make its way into the season. However, recent rumors suggest that actor Kaitlyn Dever (No One Will Save You) is in talks to play antagonist Abby Anderson opposite Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal as Ellie and Joel.

RUMOR: Kaitlyn Dever Up for Major Role in The Last of Us Season 2

Kaitlyn Dever, who was a fan favorite pick to play Ellie, may end up starring in The Last of Us after all.

Since its release earlier this year, HBO’s The Last of Us has been overwhelmingly well-received by critics and audiences as both a TV show and video game adaptation. Season 1 also broke massive viewership records for HBO, becoming the most-watched Max series in Latin America and Europe to date and receiving 8.2 million views on TV and streaming for its season finale. The series is currently nominated for 24 Emmy Awards, making it the second most-nominated show for next year’s award ceremony — which was pushed back due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes — after HBO’s Succession.