The second season of The Last of Us, based on the zombie survival video game series from Naughty Dog, is nearly here. The second season will be based on the second game in the series, The Last of Us: Part II. If you haven't played the games, you're probably thinking, 'that makes sense.' If you have played the games, you're probably thinking, 'here comes a wall of hellfire the likes of which the world has never seen.'
Why? Don't worry about it. Instead, watch the new trailer for The Last of Us season 2, released today:
The Last of Us season 2 picks up five years after the end of season 1, when Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) settled in the relatively safe town of Jackson, Wyoming. But there were complications. Joel neglected to tell Ellie that he killed a hospital full of Firefly revolutionaries to save her from a surgery that would have killed her...with the upside of helping create a cure to the zombie plague that's brought down civilization. Their relationship is strained in the second game as ghosts from Joel's past come back to haunt him.
This trailer doesn't go deep into any of the details, but folks who have played the game will recognize plenty of stuff, including significant shots of Joel's watch and Ellie's tattoo, Ellie playing guitar, Joel and Ellie visiting the Wyoming Museum of Science and History, Ellie's girlfriend Dina (Isabela Merced), a Jackson dance, an important new character named Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) crossing the snows with her posse, members of the Washington Liberation Front (WLF) and the cult-like Seraphites, known derogatorily as Scars. Jeffrey Wright plays Isaac Dixon, the leader of the WLF; he also voiced that role in the game. And Joe Pantoliano comes on board as Eugene, a minor character from the game who will get an expanded role on the show, a la Frank and Bill from the first season.
Returning cast members also include Gabriel Luna as Joel's brother Tommy and Rutina Wesley as Tommy's wife Maria. Other newcomers include Young Mazino as Ellie's friend Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny and Catherine O'Hara as Joel's therapist.
The second season of The Last of Us will kick off on HBO and Max on Sunday, April 13 at 9:00 p.m. EST. There will be seven episodes in all. The second game is a good deal bigger than the first, so it will take multiple seasons to adapt.
When the The Last of Us: Part II came out for the PlayStation 4 in 2020, the plot twists caused a massive backlash online, with fans outraged and frothing. Time has been kinder to the game, and now that everyone has calmed down I doubt we'll see that level of backlash for the show...but the plot twists are major, and I'm curious to see what happens. After the first season, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have my trust, and they don't seem to be watering down their vision. I'll be watching.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.