‘The Last of Us’ Renewed for Second Season, Adapting Part II of the Video Game
HBO has officially announced the hit show The Last of Us, from Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, has been renewed for a second season.
The journey continues. #TheLastOfUs will return for another season on @HBOMax. pic.twitter.com/FQNG6vhk1d
— The Last of Us (@TheLastofUsHBO) January 27, 2023
The announcement comes on the heels of the premiere episode surpassing 22 million views in the US alone so far, almost five times the number of people that tuned in during Sunday night (4.7 million). Episode 2 scored a 22% increase in viewership on Sunday night in the US, the largest week two audience growth for any HBO Original Drama Series in the history of the network.
Season 1 adapts the 2013 video game by Naughty Dog, which Druckmann himself created, co-wrote, and executive produced. Season 2 is expected to adapt Part II, which was released in 2020. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in the lead-up to the series, Druckmann explained they will not explore any stories beyond the end of the second video game, which could hint at season 2 being the final entry in the series (unless they split Part II into two seasons). He said:
“We have no plans to tell any stories beyond adapting the games. We won’t run into the same issue as Game of Thrones since Part II doesn’t end on a cliffhanger.”
Said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films in a statement:
“Craig and Neil, alongside EP Carolyn Strauss, and the rest of our phenomenal cast and crew, have defined a genre with their masterful debut season of ‘The Last of Us.’ After pulling off this unforgettable first season, I can’t wait to watch this team outshine themselves again with season two.”
Neil Druckmann, executive producer, co-creator, writer, and director, said:
“I’m humbled, honored, and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey. The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast & crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations. Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog & PlayStation, thank you!”
Added Craig Mazin, his partner in crime:
“I’m so grateful to Neil Druckmann and HBO for our partnership, and I’m even more grateful to the millions of people who have joined us on this journey. The audience has given us the chance to continue, and as a fan of the characters and world Neil and Naughty Dog created, I couldn’t be more ready to dive back in.”
The third, 80-minute long episode of The Last of Us season 1 will come out on Sunday, at 6pm PT / 9pm ET, and will be available to stream on HBO Max right after. Look forward to our review on Monday.
UPDATE:
Neil Druckmann has confirmed on Twitter the second season will indeed be an adaptation of The Last of Us Part II:
Part II —> HBO https://t.co/dJxiggcFDR
— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) January 27, 2023
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
