Catherine O’Hara and Pedro Pascal in stills from ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2
| Photo Credit: Max
HBO’s streaming platform Max on Monday unveiled a first look at the much-anticipated second season of its post-apocalyptic series, The Last of Us. The footage was part of the special preview teaser released by HBO ahead of the premiere of the House of the Dragon Season 2 finale episode.
Apart from showing snapshots of what awaits the lead characters of the show, played by Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, the teaser also glimpsed at the characters played by some fresh faces who are joining the cast, including Catherine O’Hara, Kaitlyn Dever, Jeffrey Wright and Isabela Merced.
The series will see Dever play Abby, a character that’s driven by vengeance; Wright as Isaac, the formidable leader of the Washington Liberation Front; and Merced as Dina, a new romantic interest of Ramsey’s character. O’Hara’s role remains undisclosed.
The Last of Us, adapted from the acclaimed video game franchise, follows the journey of Joel (Pascal) and Ellie (Ramsey) as they navigate a world ravaged by a fungal infection turning humans into zombies. Season 2 is expected to pick up where the first season left off, delving deeper into the repercussions of Joel’s decisions from the finale, drawing from the narrative of the game’s sequel, The Last of Us Part II.
Other returning cast members include Gabriel Luna as Joel’s brother Tommy, and Rutina Wesley as Tommy’s wife, Maria. Additional cast members include Young Mazino as Jesse, a community pillar with a complex sense of duty; Danny Ramirez as Manny, a soldier with a bright disposition masking deep fears; Ariela Barer as Mel, a dedicated young doctor; Tati Gabrielle as Nora, a medic haunted by her past; and Spencer Lord as Owen, a gentle soul in a warrior’s body.
Unlike its predecessor, Season 2 will consist of seven episodes. Co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann had previously explained, “The story material that we got from Part II of the game is way more than the story material that was in the first game, so part of what we had to do from the start was figure out how to tell that story across seasons.” Both have assured fans that despite the shorter season length, each episode will feel “like its own blockbuster,” with one episode being notably long.
The Last of Us Season 2, produced in collaboration with Sony Pictures Television, is set to premiere in 2025.
Other titles in Max trailer
Meanwhile, other titles teased in the Max trailer for its upcoming shows in the 2024 and 2025 slate are: The Penguin, The Batman spin-off series coming out on September 19; Dune: Prophecy, a prequel series to the Dune saga releasing in November; Season 3 of Industry, starring Myha’la, Kit Harrington, and Sarah Goldberg, releasing on August 11; Hard Knocks: Training Camp with Chicago Bears, a five-part docu-series releasing on August 6; the fourth season of My Brilliant Friend, releasing on September 9; Chimp Crazy, a docu-series releasing on August 18; part 2 of the documentary, Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos; Sam Mendes and Armando Iannucci’s superhero movie-making comedy The Franchise; the third season ofThe Sex Lives of College Girls; animated series Creature Commandos; and animated superhero series, Harley Quinn, releasing in November.
Meanwhile, the teaser also showed a glimpse of its slate for 2025, which includes a new season of The White Lotus, And Just Like That. and The Gilded Age. New titles set to release in 2025 include Duster, The Pitt, It: Welcome To Derry, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
