The popular series The Last of Us will return for a second season in April 2025, according to Neil Druckmann, who announced the news at Sony’s CES press conference. The new season will have seven episodes and focus on darker themes like payback and the effects of love that doesn’t require anything in return.
The new story takes place five years after the first season and continues to follow Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey). This season will also bring important new figures to the world after the end of the world. Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever, will be added to the cast. Her strong presence in the newly released teaser suggests she will be very important to the plot.
The official synopsis for the second season says, “Five years after the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.” This shows that things are getting worse.
A number of important new actors will join the cast, including Jeffrey Wright, Catherine O’Hara, and Isabela Merced. Ariela Barer will play Mel, Tati Gabrielle will play Nora, Spencer Lord will play Owen, and Danny Ramirez will play Manny. Young Mazino will play Jesse. Rutina Wesley’s return as Maria will link the new season to the first one.
Under the artistic direction of showrunner Craig Mazin and Druckmann, who are also writers and executive producers, the series, based on the popular video game by Naughty Dog, continues. Although “The Last of Us Part II,” which came out in 2020, will have some adaptations in the second season, Mazin said that the television adaptation could go on for up to four seasons, based on the story’s needs.
“Some seasons will need fewer episodes, and some may require more,” Mazin said. “The best news is the audience wants more, but we will not create extra content just to satisfy that desire.”
The series is still produced in partnership with Sony Pictures Television. Carolyn Strauss, Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O’Connor, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Evan Wells will all keep their jobs as executive producers, and Halley Gross will join them as co-executive producers.