HBO’s critically acclaimed series The Last of Us surprised the internet yesterday releasing its official second season trailer at Austin’s SXSW Festival. Fans at the festival experienced the trailer firsthand during a panel featuring the main cast and writers. View the thrilling new trailer below.
The two-minute clip subtly soundtracked to Nirvana’s “You Know You’re Right” captures the idyllic life Joel and Ellie have built within the safety of the compound, and the perilous monsters — human and non-human — that seek to burn the sanctuary to the ground.
The series, starring Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian, Fantastic Four: First Steps) and Bella Ramsey (His Dark Materials, Game of Thrones) is an adaptation of the best-selling Sony PlayStation video game franchise. Set in a world devastated by an unparalleled parasitic epidemic that turned humans into flesh-eating zombies, two survivors find each other amidst the chaos. Season one followed Pascal’s Joel, a man ravaged by grief, tasked with smuggling a virus-immune Ellie, played by Ramsey, across the country as civilization’s last hope. The second season is set sometime after Joel’s selfish decision which will lead to grave consequences.
The trailer highlights new friends, foes, and challenges to the life our duo has built. Those familiar with the game recognize Kaitlyn Dever (Apple Cider Vinegar, Justified) as Abby, pivotal character in The Last of Us: Part II. Isabela Merced (Transformers: The Last Knight, Instant Family) joins her as Dina, Tati Gabrielle (You, Kaleidoscope) as Nora, Danny Ramirez (Captain America: Brave New World, Assassination Nation) as Manny, Young Mazino (BEEF, Blindspot) as Jesse, Ariela Barer (Marvel’s Runaways, How to Blow Up a Pipeline) as Mel, and Spencer Lord (Riverdale, Family Law) as Owen. Jeffery Wright (The Agency, American Fiction) will reprise his video game role as Isaac, and the series also guest stars Catherine O’Hara (Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Schitt’s Creek). The returning cast includes Gabriel Luna (Agents of SHIELD, Terminator: Dark Fate) as Joel’s brother, Tommy, and Rutina Wesley (Queen Sugar, True Blood) as his wife, Maria.
The series is led by video game co-creator Neil Druckmann (Uncharted, Jax and Daxter: The Lost Frontier) and HBO’s Chernobyl writer, Craig Mazin. Both serve as writers and executive producers along with Carolyn Strauss (Game of Thrones, Somebody Somewhere), Jacqueline Lesko (Superhero Movie, Bruce Almighty), Cecil O’Connor (The Fally Guy, Jurassic World: Dominion), Asad Qizilbash (Twisted Metal, Gran Turismo), Carter Swan (Hideo Kojima: Connecting Worlds, Boredom), and Evan Wells (The Last of Us: Part I, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves). Halley Gross (Westworld, Banshee) is a writer and co-executive producer.
The seven-episode season arrives on Sunday, April 13 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.