According to Deadline, The Last of Us creators Neil Druckmann (Uncharted, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy) and Craig Mazin (Chernobyl, Mythic Quest) have revealed details about the hit series’ upcoming second season, which is set to air in 2025. The creators confirmed that the second season will consist of seven episodes.

While fans may be disappointed to hear that the second season of the beloved post-apocalyptic drama will be shorter than the first, which had nine episodes, Druckmann confirmed to Deadline that the episodes would be quite long, with one, in particular, approaching feature length. Mazin told Deadline that he and Druckmann “want to put people’s minds at ease that the idea that this season coming up is a little bit shorter than the first one is not because we’re taking less time to tell the stories, it’s because we want to take more time.”

Both Druckmann, primarily known for his work in video game programming as he created the source material games, and the Uncharted franchise and Mazin are set to return to direct one episode of the second season, respectively. Looking beyond season two, Mazin teased tidbits about the show’s future to Deadline, stating that, despite season two’s smaller episode count, “season three will be significantly larger. And indeed, the story may require Season 4.” Both creators expressed no intent to go beyond the end of the video game’s narrative. This creative choice may come as a relief to many HBO fans, given the poor reception of the last two seasons of Game of Thrones, which surpassed George R.R. Martin’s (House of the Dragon, Dark Winds) source material.

As noted by Deadline, Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian) will return as Joel, a role for which he was nominated at this year’s Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Likewise, Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones, Catherine Called Birdy) will return as Ellie, a role for which they similarly received an Emmy nomination. Also returning from the first season is Rutina Wesley (The Walking Dead, Queen Sugar) as Maria and Gabriel Luna (Fubar, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as Joel’s brother, Tommy.

The returning cast members are joined by a slew of new recruits, including Emmy-nominated actress Kaitlyn Dever (Dopesick, No One Will Save You), who will be portraying Abby Anderson, one of two playable main characters of The Last of Us: Part II, which the second season is expected to adapt. Just weeks ago, Oscar-nominated actor Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction, Rustin) joined the cast as Isaac Dixon, a militia leader. Other fresh faces to the franchise include Isabela Merced (Alien: Romulus, Maya and the Three) as Dina, Ellie’s love interest in The Last of Us: Part II, Young Mazino (Beef, Prodigal Son) as Jesse, Dina’s ex, Marvel’s Danny Ramirez (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Captain America: Brave New World) as Manny, a soldier, Ariela Barer (Rebel, How to Blow Up a Pipeline) as Mel, Tati Gabrielle (Kaleidoscope, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) as Nora, Spencer Lord (Riverdale, The Good Doctor) as Owen, and Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek, Beetlejuice).

Fans of the series can rewatch the first season of The Last of Us in preparation for the upcoming season on Max. The video game source materials, The Last of Us and The Last of Us: Part II, are available to play on PlayStation and PC.