This time around, it's Ellie leading the charge, not Joel.
"The Last of Us" Season 2 debuted its first teaser, which shows Bella Ramsey's character Ellie stepping into the spotlight and taking more of a lead role than even Pedro Pascal's Joel.
Per HBO's official synopsis, Season 2 picks up after five years of peace following the events of the first season. Now, "Joel and Ellie's collective past catches up to them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind."
"The Last of Us" is set 20 years after modern civilization has collapsed amid the spread of a viral infection from a mutated fungus. Season 2 welcomes new cast members Kaitlyn Dever as Abby (the other lead of the PlayStation game "The Last of Us Part II"), Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, and Danny Ramirez as Manny.
Catherine O'Hara also guest stars along with Jeffrey Wright, who reprises his role as Isaac after voicing the character in the video game on which the HBO series is based. Gabriel Luna and Rutina Wesley are also back as Tommy and Maria, respectively, from Season 1.
"The Last of Us" had a record-breaking first season, becoming the most-watched debut season of a series ever for HBO. The show is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, and is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television. Other executive producers are Carolyn Strauss, Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O'Connor, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Evan Wells. Series backers include PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog - the latter of which produced the two video games that form the basis of the series thus far.
Mazin and Druckmann - who serve as co-creators and writers/directors - have said the show could continue for at least four seasons total, expanding on the Naughty Dog video game's mythology. "The Last of Us" won a raft of Primetime Emmys at the top of 2024, including for guest actors Storm Reid and Nick Offerman, as well as on the crafts side for series' powerful sound design, prosthetic makeup, and visual effects.
"The Last of Us" Season 2 will debut in 2025 on HBO with streaming on Max. Watch the teaser below.
