The Last of Us is ready to infect our screens again. The co-creator of the series Neil Druckmann (Uncharted) tells EW, “We’ve outlined all of season two and we’re ready to go as soon as the strike ends,” easing many fans’ anxieties about the return of the popular dystopian series.
The Last of Us premiered in January of 2023. Based off of a video game of the same name, The Last of Us is about the story of a post-apocalyptic United States set twenty years into a mass fungal infection pandemic. The infection causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and hunt others to infect and kill. The series follows Joel, a smuggler played by Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian, Game of Thrones), who has to escort a teenager, played by Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones), who is immune to the infection across the country as she may be humanity’s final hope.
The series quickly gained popularity as it has totaled 38 million viewers. According to Deadline, “The Last of Us is now the most-watched show in the history of HBO Max in both Europe and Latin America,” and has achieved 24 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series.
Right after the show premiered in January, it was quickly renewed and before WGA began striking on May 1, the newest season was already starting to form an outline and take shape. The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin (Chernobyl, Scary Movie 3) told Deadline in an interview “We got pretty far actually, we were doing great,”
Druckmann was also asked by EW about the third installment of the video game series. He responded, “As far as the next game at Naughty Dog, I can’t say anything,” he says. “My comms director over there will slaughter me,” he says with a laugh.
The next season will be stationed in Vancouver, as a significant part of the second video game, The Last of Us Part II, takes place in the Pacific Northwest. You can stream The Last of Us on Max.