The Last of Us boss talks season 2, rules out another Bill and Frank episode

HBO’s post-apocalyptic zombie drama The Last of Us was one of the biggest releases of the year so far, so much that the studio renewed the series after just two episodes. Fans are very excited to see the events of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us: Part II get covered in the next season. When will that be?

Well, it’s hard to gauge when anything will release nowadays. Both writers and actors are on strike, demanding better pay, better working conditions and regulations on the use of AI. The Last of Us season 2 isn’t getting made without actors and writers, so it could be a while.

According to co-creator Craig Mazin, a lot of script work was complete before the writer’s strike kicked off. “We know what the whole season is, and I was actually able to get a write and submit the first episode right before the deadline hit,” he told Deadline. “So now I’m just walking around kind of brain-writing, I guess, which I don’t think is scabbing.”

He may not have submitted anything other than the season 2 premiere, but he’s brimming with ideas and ready to hit the ground running when the strikes are over. “I take walks and I think through the scenes because when the bell rings and this is over because the companies have finally come to their senses, I’m going to have to basically shoot myself out of a cannon because we really want to try and get this show on the air when it’s supposed to be on the air,” he added.

Mazin neither confirmed nor denied that we’ll see more infected in season 2. “There will be moments,” he teased. “just like there were in the first season, where the infected are very present.”

Will we see any more of Bill and Frank in The Last of Us season 2?

One of the standout episodes of the first season was Episode 3, “Long Long Time,” which told the story of Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett), two men who found love in the midst of the apocalypse. Given how it ended, there’s no need to go back and continue the story. It was a beautiful standalone tale, and Mazin wants to keep it that way.

“What you won’t see is, for instance, another very special episode with Bill and Frank, we aren’t going to milk it,” he said. “When we do something that we think is beautiful, we let it be as it is and find other beautiful things to do.”

This is the most sensible way to do it. And there’s lots of other material to cover. The Last of Us: Part II is a significantly longer game than Part 1, with loads more characters, so the writers will have plenty to work with.

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