The Last Of Us Seasons 3 & 4 Teased By Showrunners: "As Long As People Keep Watching..."

The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin opens up about how many seasons might be needed to complete the show. Season 1 of the hit video game adaptation followed Pedro Pascal's Joel Miller as he escorted young survivor Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey) across what remains of North America following a cataclysmic fungal parasite outbreak. The Last of Us season 2 will adapt the events of the 2020 game sequel The Last of Us Part II, and several key roles have already been cast. Filming is currently underway.

While talking to Deadline, Mazin and co-showrunner Neil Druckmann spoke about what the future of The Last of Us holds. While season 2 is expected to only adapt part of the second game, Mazin openly confessed that even a third season may not be enough to faithfully adapt the source material, stating that the series would continue so long as there are viewers interested in watching the series. Check out Mazin's response below:

We don’t think that we’re going to be able to tell the story even within two seasons [2 and 3] because we’re taking our time and go down interesting pathways which we did a little bit in Season 1 too. We feel like it’s almost assuredly going to be the case that — as long as people keep watching and we can keep making more television — Season 3 will be significantly larger. And indeed, the story may require Season 4.... One thing is absolutely for sure, I don’t see how we could tell the story that remains after Season 2 is complete in one more season.

What Will The Last of Us Season 2 Cover?

The Last Of Us Part II Is Much Larger Than The First Game

With The Last of Us season 2 confirmed to feature only seven episodes, this raises the question of how much story it will cover. Consisting of 46 chapters shared between Ellie and Abby (played by Kaitlyn Dever in season 2), The Last of Us Part II far exceeds the 12 chapters of the first game and the short prequel DLC that was adapted across season 1's nine episodes. This is both in terms of length and worldbuilding due to its new protagonist and her arc. As such, season 2 may cover up to the first showdown between Ellie and Abby.

However, what might make any speculation surrounding The Last of Us season 2's story more complicated is how the show will expand upon the landscape of the game. Season 1 not only incorporated cut content by introducing Ellie's mother, Anna (Ashley Johnson), but side characters Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) had their tales rewritten into a much more compelling story when compared to their in-game counterparts. With new characters and factions, season 2 and beyond may feature plenty of new stories to explore.

The Last of Us season 1 not only won over new viewers, but charmed original fans and helped redefine expectations of what a video game adaptation could hold. As such, season 2 seems set to further push boundaries by breaking down the somewhat controversial second game into a multi-season epic. With Mazin and Druckmann's previous efforts making the world of The Last of Us richer than ever before, viewers will have high hopes for where season 2 will expand Ellie and Abby's tales.

Source: Deadline