The Last of Us Season 2 is on the way, and this is what we know so far about it and if it’ll be coming out as part of the 2025 TV schedule.
The first season premiered back in 2023. With changes that were made from the game’s narrative and plenty of drama and crazy moments towards its finale, the series was a huge hit.
The first season came to an end, but what do we know about Season 2? Here is what we know so far.
When Is The Last Of Us Season 2 Premiere Date?
At the time of updating this in October 2024, The Last of Us Season 2 will come out in 2025, as confirmed by the trailer released by Max. No set premiere date has been confirmed just yet.
Check Out The Teaser Trailer For The Last Of Us Season 2
If you’re as excited about The Last of Us Season 2 as we are, then check out the teaser trailer above. Our first look features several of the main characters that we have all come to know and love, as well as a preview of some of the scenes from the second game that we are going to be getting in the second season – as well as the introduction of new characters like Abby, Dina, Jessie and more.
The Last Of Us Season 2 Cast
There are so many characters that you have to keep an eye out for with The Last of Us Season 2. Here is who you can expect to see:
Bella Ramsey as Ellie
It’s confirmed that Bella Ramsey will come back as Ellie for Season 2 of The Last of Us. Ramsey was cast as Ellie years ago, and people have come to love their version of the beloved video game character. Now, the creator of the game (and creator, writer, and EP of the TV series), Neil Druckmann, has doubled down on the character’s portrayal, saying in a press conference (via IGN) in March 2023 they would only recast the role if Ramsey herself didn’t want to be there:
We are extremely lucky to have Bella and the stuff you saw throughout this entire season. The only way we would ever, ever consider recasting Bella is if she said, 'I don't want to work with you guys anymore.' Even then, I'm not sure we would grant her that. We might still force her to come back to Season 2.
Ramsey has been a huge promoter of the series, talking about the twists and turns as well as the storylines they’ve been diving deeper into, so it’s awesome to see that the show intends to stick with them.
Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller
Pedro Pascal will come back as Joel Miller for Season 2. For fans of the video game, The Last of Us Part II, gamers might know that Joel’s role is lessened significantly to what it was in the original game. While that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it does beg the question – what exactly is going to be Pedro Pascal’s role in Season 2 if they decide to go that route? How much of Joel are we going to see?
The answer to that is still unclear – to be honest, Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie, however, spoke about the upcoming season.
In an interview with Comicbook.com and Entertainment Tonight, on The Last of Pods, in February 2023, Ramsey spoke about it, and how excited they are to get started on it – but one key phrase about Pascal might give us a little bit of a hint as to how much we could see him:
I’m really excited. It still feels surreal to me that it’s going to go again. But also… I don’t want to go into it comparing it to the experience of the first season… Season 1 of The Last of Us was like the best year of my life and it’s not gonna be the same. So I just have to go into it being like, ‘This is Season 2 and I loved Season 1, but this is going to be different.’ I just want to be back in Canada with Craig Mazin, and Pedro [Pascal] for a little bit. It’s gonna be really nice. I’m really excited.
While it’s awesome to hear Ramsey so excited, it’s important to point out that they say ‘a little bit.’ I don’t know if that refers to the amount of filming they’re going to do overall, but it could also be a hint that Pascal’s role might be a “little bit” less in Season 2. Only time will tell.
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby
The role of Abby has been cast, and Deadline confirmed in January 2024 that Kaitlyn Dever will play the character in Season 2 of The Last of Us. She emerged as a frontrunner for the role after the SAG-AFTRA strike, and is now confirmed to play the second playable character in the sequel.
Craig Mazin and Neil Druchmann released a statement on her casting, saying they were “thrilled” to have Dever portraying the character:
Our casting process for season two has been identical to season one: we look for world-class actors who embody the souls of the characters in the source material. Nothing matters more than talent, and we’re thrilled to have an acclaimed performer like Kaitlyn join Pedro, Bella and the rest of our family.
Isabela Merced as Dina
According to Variety, Isabela Merced will play Dina, Ellie’s companion in the second game.
The character is extremely important to Ellie in the second game, so it’s exciting to see Merced get the role. Isabela Merced has gained a lot of traction over the last few years thanks to her roles in Dora and the Lost City of Gold, Sicario: Day of Soldado, the Madame Web cast, and her starring role in Turtles All The Way Down.
Merced even had the chance to talk about the upcoming storyline with Ramsey in an interview with BuzzFeed in May 2024, saying that she and Ramsey didn’t do a “chemistry read” but she trusted in the actor and knows that with the right hands behind the story, it could be an “iconic sapphic television story:”
Bella and I never did a chemistry read. Bella and I never met before we went into The Last of Us, so it was a big risk. And we were aware of that. But ever since watching the first season, I knew I was in good hands with Bella. Bella's extremely charming, extremely personable, a natural actor. So believable. Like, even if I sucked as an actor, you're working with someone like that. It's hard to look bad. I'm really excited. Personally, in my opinion, and from what we've heard from like the studio and Craig [Mazin] and stuff, I feel like this could potentially be, like, an iconic sapphic television story.
Young Mazino as Jessie
Also from Variety, it was announced that Young Mazino will play Jesse, a friend of Ellie’s and Dina’s former boyfriend. Jesse also plays a significant role in the game, and it’s great to see Mazino, as he really does fit the bill.
Young Mazino gained critical acclaim for his role in the limited series Beef in 2023, which earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination.
Abby’s Companions
In Part 2 of the game, The Last of Us also features various companions for Abby’s, friends of hers that you can expect to see in the show. All of which were cast in March 2024, according to Variety. These include:
- Danny Ramirez as Manny
- Ariela Barer as Mel
- Tati Gabrielle as Nora
- Spencer Lord as Owen
All four characters have significant stories with Abby in the second game, and cross paths with Ellie in some way. Ramirez is known for Top Gun: Maverick and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Ariela Barer is known for Runaways. Tati Gabrielle is known for You, The 100, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Spencer Lord is known for Riverdale.
Catherine O’Hara
Another piece of news that came earlier in the year was that Catherine O’Hara was cast in an undisclosed role for the second season of The Last of Us, according to Variety in February 2024. Whom she will play is still not known, but we have theories on Catherine O’Hara’s character.
She was even featured in the above teaser and it seems she was interviewing Joel for some reason, but we do not know for sure who she will be just yet.
Jeffrey Wright as Isaac
Confirmed by Variety in May 2024, Jeffrey Wright will be portraying Isaac in The Last of Us Season 2. For fans of the game, this is exciting news, as Wright actually portrayed Isaac in Part II, so it’s awesome to see him come back for the live-action series – which is similar to what happened with Merle Dandridge, the actress who portrayed Marlene in the first season..
Wright has appeared in several major movies and TV shows, but you might recognize him from Westworld, Boardwalk Empire, The Hunger Games franchise, American Fiction (which earned him an Academy Award nomination), Rustin, No Time To Die, The Batman and many more.
Returning Cast Members
Aside from the new characters and Joel and Ellie returning, there are a few other characters we know are coming back for The Last of Us Season 2. These include:
- Gabriel Luna as Tommy
- Rutina Wesley as Maria
What Is The Last Of Us Season 2 Going To Be About?
There are plenty of things that we know about The Last of Us Season 2 and its story. Here are a few:
The Last Of Us Season 2 Most Likely Won’t Cover All Of Part 2
Anyone who has played The Last of Us Part II understands that it is a very complex story, so the idea of compressing all of that down into one season is daunting. Well, it seems the creators of the TV show think the same thing.
The creators confirmed to Variety in March 2023 that the intention for Season 2 (and onward) is that the events of the game will not be condensed for just one season. Instead, it will be spread out over multiple seasons. This means more The Last of Us content – and maybe even some new original story, which was a big question I had after Season 1 of the show.
The Love Story Between Ellie And Dina Will Be A Part Of Season 2
Another part of The Last of Us Season 2 that fans might be hoping for is a certain love story that takes place between Ellie and mentioned Jackson resident, Dina, in Part II of the game series, as mentioned above with Merced playing Dina. Ramsey expressed their hopes for the story, and how excited they were to bring it to the small screen on the Happy Sad Confused podcast in February 2023:
I'm really excited, to be honest, for the Ellie/Dina story. I've watched a cut together, someone's made a phenomenal - I don't know how they do it - like an amazing edit of just like the gameplay, like Ellie and Dina's love story. So I'm excited to play that out.
The Last of Us has been making a lot of changes to show further inclusivity for their LGBTQ+ characters from the game, so it’ll be awesome to see this story fleshed out on TV.
There Will Be A Time-Jump – But Nothing Too Crazy
Additionally, there will be a time jump in Season 2, which is expected. For those who have played Part II, you’d know that there is a decent time jump in the second game, about five years, so fans would only expect that Season 2 of the show would have a time jump as well.
Craig Mazin, in an interview with Collider in March 2023, confirmed that a time jump would take place, but it won’t be anything crazy like the time jumps in other HBO shows, such as House of the Dragon Season 1. He also confirmed that even if there will be a time jump, there will be “no recasting” of any of the characters, thankfully.
Game Characters Will Receive A Lot More Backstory In The TV Series
Anyone who has played The Last of Us games knows that the story mainly focuses on a few main characters, but there are so many side-characters that we don’t get a lot of backstory for. However, Neil Druckmann said in an interview with Variety in September 2024 that the series will be expanding on those characters in many ways — and that fans of the game will “eat up” a particular backstory that will be featured in the upcoming season:
And there’s stuff in this season that I’m really excited about — stuff that we hinted at — one scene in particular comes to mind that I think fans of the game will eat up, because it really kind of tells you a lot of backstory of this important character that there wasn’t really a way for us to even do that in the game.
I’m just so excited now.
Season 2 Is Going To Have A Lot More Infected
Something that I’m sure a lot of people noticed with the drama was that it wasn’t nearly as violent as people probably expected it to be, with a lot less infected, and there’s a solid reason why – just to make the show a lot more grounded and realistic. For Season 2, however, the creators have promised there will be more infected.
In a press conference (via Variety) in March 2023, Craig Mazin, one of the creators, confirmed that there will probably be a lot more infected, so fans don’t need to worry about that:
There is more The Last of Us to come. It’s quite possible that there will be a lot more infected later. And perhaps different kinds.
Bring. It. On!
Season 2 Will Only Be Seven Episodes Long – But There Will Be More In The Future
One thing that is a shame is that Deadline confirmed in June 2024 The Last of Us Season 2 will only be seven episodes long, which is two episodes shorter than the first season. The creators of the series confirmed it to the media outlet. But, they did confirm that a potential third season would be “significantly larger” than this season, and that some of the episodes of Season 2 will be “quite big” in terms of runtime.
While it is a shame that it’s only seven episodes long, it’s better than nothing.
What are you the most excited for when it comes to The Last of Us Season 2? If you’re a gamer, are you terrified? Or are you curious about what changes they might make? Whatever the case, it’s sure to be a fun – and scary – time.
