The Last of Us season 2

The second season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us is set to premiere on HBO on April 13, 2025. Based on the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog, the series is set twenty years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and collapses society. The second season, based on the 2020 game The Last of Us Part II, follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) five years after the events of the first season, and introduces Abby (Kaitlyn Dever).
HBO renewed The Last of Us for a second season less than two weeks after the series premiere aired in January 2023. Series co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann were joined in the writers' room by Halley Gross and Bo Shim; Druckmann wrote and co-directed the video games, and Gross co-wrote Part II. The season was filmed in British Columbia from February to August 2024. Druckmann, Mazin, and Peter Hoar returned as directors, alongside newcomers Kate Herron, Nina Lopez-Corrado, Mark Mylod, and Stephen Williams. The season is expected to span seven episodes.
HBO renewed The Last of Us for a second season on January 27, 2023, less than two weeks after the premiere of the first season. While the first season covers the events of Naughty Dog's video game The Last of Us (2013) and its downloadable expansion The Last of Us: Left Behind (2014), the second season is set to cover the sequel, The Last of Us Part II (2020). Druckmann and Mazin wanted to avoid filler between the games. Part II is expected to span multiple seasons, and Mazin does not want the series to overtake the games. While writing the first season, Mazin and Druckmann ensured characters remained true to their developments in Part II in case the show received more seasons.
Upon the season's renewal, HBO named the returning production companies as Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Naughty Dog, the Mighty Mint, and Word Games, and returning executive producers Mazin, Druckmann, Carolyn Strauss, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Rose Lam. Jacqueline Lesko, who co-executive produced the first season, was named an executive producer in March 2023, followed by Cecil O'Connor, who produced the first season, by February 2024, replacing Lam. In January 2024, Druckmann, Mazin, and Peter Hoar were announced as returning directors from the first season, alongside newcomers Kate Herron, Nina Lopez-Corrado, Mark Mylod, and Stephen Williams. In June, Mazin and Druckmann revealed the season would consist of seven episodes, one of which was set to be "quite big" in runtime. Inspired by Noah Hawley's work on Fargo, Mazin felt directing the premiere allowed him to prepare the full season, and he subsequently worked closely with each director on set.
Druckmann felt Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey's comfort and familiarity with their characters—Joel and Ellie, respectively—allowed them to "dive deeper" into their performances. Pascal and Ramsey, who grew close during production of the first season, considered their separation "painful" and "lonelier" during filming for the second. The season introduces several new characters and spends more time with them. Mazin felt the new actors "fit right in" due to the series's established reputation. Casting was put on hold in May 2023 due to the Writers Guild of America strike; actors had been auditioning with scenes from The Last of Us Part II due to an absence of scripts.
The production team wanted to start the second season's casting with Abby; casting for the role began before the strike, and Dever became the frontrunner after the strike ended in November, following the response to her performance in No One Will Save You (2023). She previously appeared in Naughty Dog's Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016), and was considered to play Ellie in the abandoned film adaptation of The Last of Us around the time. Her casting was announced on January 9, 2024, followed by Mazino's as Jesse on January 10, and Merced's as Dina on January 11. O'Hara's casting was announced on February 2, followed by Ramirez, Barer, Gabrielle, and Lord's on March 1, Wright's on May 24, and Ahlers, Burke, Lamanna, Pantoliano, Park, and Ubach's on March 5, 2025.
A writers' room for the second season was established in Los Angeles by February 2023, with Mazin and Druckmann joined by Halley Gross, who co-wrote Part II with Druckmann, and Bo Shim, a new writer. Gross was also named co-executive producer. Druckmann worked on the story during development of The Last of Us Part II Remastered (2024), which he felt provided an opportunity to revisit and analyze its decisions and intricacies. The writers began by splitting Part II's narrative into sections, then selecting some for the second season; the seven-episode length was chosen as a natural breaking point for the story. They experimented with several methods of presenting the non-linear timeline, settling on what they found to be the "most impactful". Splitting across seasons prompted narrative rearrangement to present information earlier than in the game, such as Abby's backstory and relationships. Some changes were also made as the game's shifting player perspective between Ellie and Abby no longer applied. Material removed from the game, including some presented in Part II Remastered, was added to the series.
Druckmann considered himself biased when adapting the "intimately familiar" story and tried to keep an open mind with changes; he and Mazin were generally in agreement. Scripts were being written by April 2023, with a full season outline mapped, but writing was impacted by the writers' strike in May; Mazin only submitted the first episode about 90 minutes before the strike began, and neither he nor Druckmann worked on the series while the strike was ongoing. Instead, Mazin mentally outlined scenes while taking walks, described as "brain-writing", as he planned to quickly complete scripts after the strike to ensure a smooth production schedule. Mazin wrote the season's first five episodes, and co-write the final two with Druckmann and Gross. The second season is set to feature themes of revenge, in contrast to the first season's unconditional love; Druckmann felt it was a "continuation of love from the first season, and this is just the dark side of that coin". The second season, like the first, highlights several duos of characters, such as Ellie and Dina.
The second season is set five years after the first season finale, following the impact of Joel's lie to Ellie, which Mazin called the season's "beating heart". It explores themes of tribalism and the impact of losing loved ones from within one's group, and the troubling view of heroism when viewed from alternative perspectives. It also highlights themes of change, growth, and escalation, reflected internally within characters like Ellie and communities like Jackson, as well as in the outside world, demonstrated by the enhanced types of infected. Viewers' requests for additional infected scenes after the first season aligned with Druckmann and Mazin's own feelings, resulting in more focus on the infected in the second season. The writers' familiarity with the show's production allowed for more action sequences, through which they maintained connections to character development. Mazin felt the first season's limited action sequences were a result of its focus on Joel and Ellie, whereas the second season's additional characters granted a broader focus. He wanted action sequences to demonstrate the desperation and loss that the characters often forget, partly inspired by the Game of Thrones episode "Hardhome" (2015). Spores—the vector through which infection is spread in the games—return in the second season, having been replaced in the first by tendrils forming a unified network.
The second season was filmed primarily in British Columbia for over 150 days. Vancouver replicates Seattle, as seen in the game, assisted by sets created by the art teams. Delayed by the writers' and actors' strikes, principal photography began on February 12, 2024, running under the working title Mega Sword. Mazin directed his episode first; the first day of production involved Ramsey and Merced. A building in Kamloops was dressed to replicate the in-game Greenplace Market in February. Production took place in Calgary, Alberta—where the first season was partly filmed—on March 5–6, before moving to Mission, Fort Langley, and Langley, expected to replicate parts of Jackson, Wyoming. Mazin's episode neared completion by March 12. Production returned to Alberta for ten days from March 18, with filming in Exshaw and along Highway 1A from March 21–24 requiring snow and a 72-hour partial highway closure. HBO denied rumors that Pascal had finished filming for the season in March.
Mylod directed after Mazin in February, followed by Herron and Hoar in April, Williams and Druckmann in May, and Lopez-Corrado in July. Ksenia Sereda returned as the lead director of photography, working with Mazin, Hoar, Williams, and Druckmann, while Catherine Goldschmidt worked with Mylod, Herron, and Lopez-Corrado. Several town buildings were constructed in Britannia Beach for production in April. Filming occurred in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside—replicating Seattle—with soldiers and military vehicles on May 4, and with Ramsey and Merced on horseback on May 11; production was planned late, with some businesses given four days' notice. Six Mark I model SkyTrain cars were purchased from TransLink in early 2024 and rebranded to represent Seattle for production.
Preparatory production work began in Nanaimo on April 22, with road closures around Diana Krall Plaza from April 29. Around six minutes of footage was filmed from May 13–14, featuring Ramsey and Merced on horseback, expected to be set around Seattle's Capitol Hill and its fictional Serevena Hotel. The horse used in production, named Jazzway, previously featured in the television series The 100 (2014–2020) and film Jurassic World Dominion (2022). Several businesses were closed during filming and compensated by the production, and some surrounding businesses saw an increase in shoppers and online traffic. The crew vacated Nanaimo by May 31, and the city was set to be gifted for its involvement in the series. Filming occurred on a private property at Minaty Bay in Britannia Beach across five days—June 5, 7, 12, 13, and July 2—with smoke and flame pyrotechnics present. Filming took place in Chinatown, Vancouver on July 8, with Ramsey, Merced, and the fictional Seraphites in a recreation of Seattle. Druckmann's episode completed production by July 9.
Filming returned to Downtown Eastside on July 12, and moved to Stanley Park on July 13 and Downtown Vancouver on July 25. A section of Harbour Green Park in Coal Harbour was closed from July 25–27 for production, featuring several abandoned cars and foliage. Filming occurred in New Westminster on July 28, at the Orpheum theatre on July 29, and around Cordova and Cambie Streets in Gastown from August 9–13. The season's wrap party took place on August 18, and principal photography was set to conclude August 21, several weeks before September 9 as originally scheduled; it finished on August 23. At least three rounds of additional photography took place over the next six months, including in Downtown Vancouver—the exterior of the Guinness Tower and Oceanic Plaza—from September 13–17, featuring a convoy of military vehicles. The production office closed on September 27. The Vancouver Aquarium closed early for additional photography on January 15–16, 2025.
Druckmann considered music conducive of the narrative, akin to the game, with characters performing or listening to music contributing to worldbuilding or relationships.
Timothy A. Good and Emily Mendez are set to return as editors for the second season.
In December 2023, HBO announced the second season is set to premiere on its television network and streaming service Max in 2025; Casey Bloys, the chairman and chief executive officer of HBO and Max, said it would air during the eligibility window for the following Emmy Awards. Druckmann announced the season's April premiere window as part of Sony's Consumer Electronics Show presentation on January 6, 2025; the following month, HBO announced the premiere date of April 13. American Sign Language versions of each episodes, performed by Daniel Durant and directed by Leila Hanaumi, are set to be released on Max simultaneously. The first episode received its red carpet world premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on March 24, followed by a red carpet and theater screening at the State Theatre in Sydney on April 2, Grand Rex in Paris on April 5, and Vue West End in Leicester Square, London, on April 10.
The marketing team was precise in selecting footage for each trailer to avoid spoilers, especially regarding Abby's appearance, avoiding Part II's approach of altering characters in some scenes to preserve surprises. HBO shared the first images of Pascal and Ramsey on May 15, 2024, and the first footage from the season—featuring Dever, Merced, O'Hara, and Wright—on August 4, alongside the finale of House of the Dragon's second season. For The Last of Us Day on September 26, HBO released the season's synopsis, posters by Greg Ruth of Joel, Ellie, and Abby, and the first teaser trailer, set to Pearl Jam's "Future Days", which was a pivotal song in Part II. New footage was released on November 12, alongside The Penguin's finale, and a preview was shown to audiences at a Max showcase in London on December 5. Merced presented Best Adaptation at the Game Awards 2024 on December 12 alongside Shannon Woodward, who portrayed Dina in the game.
A new teaser trailer was aired during Sony's Consumer Electronics Show presentation on January 6, 2025, and character posters featuring Abby, Ellie, and Joel were released on February 19. Dever, Druckmann, Luna, Mazin, Mazino, Merced, Pascal, and Ramsey appeared on a panel at SXSW on March 8, where the full trailer was officially released, having leaked hours earlier. It received the most three-day views of any HBO and Max original trailer with 158 million views, a 160% increase from the series's previous marketing. The season's key art was released on March 13, followed by a poster of Joel and Ellie on March 20, and nine character posters on March 24. The show's companion podcast is set to return alongside each episode, hosted by Troy Baker (who portrayed Joel in the games and James in the first season) alongside Druckmann and Mazin.
The season's worldwide press tour began alongside the red carpet premiere on March 24, and is set to run until the first episode airs on April 13. Pascal appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! alongside a clip from the series on March 24, and Ramsey was featured on the cover of British Vogue in April. HBO partnered with Four Sigmatic to create a cordyceps-infused coffee. Dever, Luna, Mazino, Merced, Ramsey, and Wright attended a press event at Sydney Harbour to celebrate the Australian launch of Max on March 31, alongside the April 2 premiere, and Druckmann, Mazin, and Ramsey appeared on a panel at Deadline's Contenders Television showcase on April 5.