HBO's The Last of Us has officially been renewed for a second season.
"Craig [Mazin] and Neil [Druckmann], 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," said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films in a statement. "After pulling off this unforgettable first season, I can't wait to watch this team outshine themselves again with season two."
The renewal for a second season came early, as The Last of Us has so far aired only two episodes of the first season at the time of writing. From co-creators Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann (creator and writer of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us franchise), HBO's The Last of Us marked the network's second-largest premiere behind House of the Dragon, with Episode 1 surpassing 22 million domestic viewers.
The Last of Us Lands an Early Season 2 Renewal
"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," said Druckmann of the renewal. "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!"
Released by Naughty Dog in 2013, The Last of Us video game follows a smuggler named Joel who is tasked with leading Ellie, a 14-year-old girl immune to the cordyceps virus that has ravaged humanity for nearly twenty years, across the post-apocalyptic United States. Seven years later, a sequel titled The Last of Us Part II was released in 2020. HBO has adapted the first game in the franchise.
"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," said Mazin. "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."
Originally announced in 2014, HBO's The Last of Us entered production in July of 2021. Season 1 will consist of 10 episodes and adapts the storyline from the original Last of Us game, based on a screenplay written by Mazin and Druckmann, who also acts as the current co-president of Naughty Dog. The Last of Us stars Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones) as Ellie Williams.
Season 1 of The Last of Us is currently airing on HBO, with new episodes every Sunday.
Source: HBO