The Last of Us season 2 may feature a deleted scene from The Last of Us Part II

The Last of Us season 2 may not have started filming yet, but the hype train is beginning to leave the station anyway. It helps that, even without a new season of the show, fans of the series have other ways to slake their thirst for more of Joel and Ellie. Next month, Naughty Dog will release the PlayStation 5 remaster of The Last of Us Part II, complete with some new features. One of those features is “The Lost Levels,” which are essentially deleted scenes from the game which players can explore.

From the sounds of things, at least one of the stories from the Lost Levels may crop up in The Last of Us TV show. “As a tease, I will say there is at least one element from a cut level that is planned [for] the show,” The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann told Entertainment Weekly via email. “I say that with the caveat that we haven’t started filming the show yet and all things are subject to change based on what we ultimately feel will be best for the show.”

The Last of Us Part II Remastered isn’t “teeing up any work for the show,” but deleted scenes could still tie in

Druckmann is pretty busy these days; in addition to overseeing the video game series, he also serves as a co-showrunner on the HBO show alongside Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin. The Last of Us season 2 is tentatively scheduled to begin production in early 2024, but in the meantime Druckmann is hard at work on The Last of Us Part II Remastered, which releases in January. During his chat with EW he revealed a bit more about what gamers can expect from the Lost Level deleted scenes:

"The Lost Levels are very much focused on offering a sneak peek into The Last of Us Part II’s original development and deepen fans’ appreciation for the studio’s creative work. While the TV show has diverged from the original works to suit the medium and likely will again, these levels are not meant to be indicative of work on the HBO show, which is separate from Part II Remastered’s development.Think of these as levels left on the cutting room floor, that for various reasons didn’t make it into the final game. These are a new attempt from us to lift the curtain on the development process, and I hope players appreciate the insight into what did and didn’t make it into the final game."

One way that Druckmann and Naughty Dog are lifting that curtain is by providing commentary on the Lost Levels. This is meant to give fans insight into “the intention of the level, what was going on in the sequence, and ultimately why it was cut.” Druckmann gives the example of “an extended party scene in Jackson that offers more insight into Ellie’s life in town” as something we can expect to see in the remaster.

Druckmann was often in the studio recording his commentary right around the same time he was meeting with Craig Mazin to work on season 2, and says that the way these two creative acts fed into each other was “very serendipitous.”

“Game and TV development are often very different in nature, and Part II Remastered’s development was about offering the best version of this game possible rather than teeing up any work for the show,” Druckmann explained. “I remember going into the studio to record commentary tracks for a handful of cinematics, then in the afternoon meeting with Craig to break season 2’s story — which was often based on the same sequences/moments. So, the process of working on the remaster happened to double as [a] research refresher for me on the intricacies of the story, along with why we made certain decisions.”

Despite any potential overlap, Druckmann emphasized that at the end of the day his priority will be doing what’s right for the games and show separately, rather than trying to cash out on franchise crossover. “My focus on The Last of Us‘ next season has remained the same — Craig and I want to create a great season of television that stays true to the themes and intent of the original Part II story while adapting the story as best we can for a different medium.”

The Last of Us Part II Remastered releases on January 19.

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