The Last of Us Showrunner Speaks Out on Bill and Frank Return for Season 2

The Last Of Us producer Craig Mazin addressed the possibility of a Bill and Frank return. Now, for obvious reasons, there would have to be some manuvering there. But, executive producer Craig Mazin had to pour some cold water on the idea on a prequel starring Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett. He told Deadline, “I’m very proud of the episode we did with Bill and Frank. There won’t be more Bill and Frank.” Of course, this made some fans of the series sad. But, Offerman had been joking about doing a series set before the events of that tragic episode. Mazin added,  “Nick was joking about a prequel, that was kind of a joke. We are very happy with what we achieved.” So, you’ll have to hold that episode dear as The Last of Us Part II grows closer.

Backstage at the Emmy Awards, Offerman couldn’t help joking about bringing Bill and Frank back. “Oh, great question but I would have to ask somebody with a higher pay grade than myself,” Offerman began. “It certainly has been pitched. I think we pitched a whole mini-series of a prequel of their lives before they met each other. It could be a musical. We’re not short on ideas. We’ll just we’ll see what Craig [Mazin] and Neil [Druckmann] come up with.”

How Did Bill and Frank’s Fate Change?

Neil Druckmann is the man behind The Last of Us. He and Mazin had to discuss such a big change to the narrative from the first game. In the official podcast for the show, Druckmann talked about making that decision and how they navigated switching it up. Obviously, the Bill and Frank episode paid dividends for the fans out there.

“The thing I get nervous the most about changes is changing the fate of a character. And here we have a very different fate for Bill than we do in the game,” Druckmann mused. “Then I try to do the math of weighing it: ‘How much do we gain?’ To me, when you deviate that much, there’s a certain cost to it. It was such a beautiful story that explores the themes of love and the complexity that comes with love, and the happiness, and pain.”

Druckmann added, “Even though this Bill dies, and Bill doesn’t die in the game, it’s a happier ending, much happier, because he lived a full life. We’re demonstrating — because, eventually, where some of the story goes [in upcoming episodes] — there’s a demonstration of, ‘Here’s what you stand to lose when you love someone. You can feel this immense loss. But here’s what you gain.’ The contrast of those two things in this episode I feel really elevates Joel and Ellie’s journey through the telling of a bottle episode.”

How Did The Director Approach The Story?

The Last of Us‘s third episode has been one of the best-received episodes of television over the last three years. Peter Hoar direct the Bill and Frank episode. He told Deadline about making all those people at home cry their eyes out.

“I didn’t certainly set out to tell a story that would make the world cry uncontrollably, but I did,” Hoar explained. “There was one note that I gave Murray. I said, maybe this is the scene where we don’t cry. It was impossible because Bill was so passionate and in the moment saying to his love Frank that he was his purpose. And Murray was like, ‘I can’t do it. Look at him, I can’t do it. He’s just so beautiful and human I just can’t hold it in.’ So, that note was redundant! I’m there to make people feel something.”

Do you wish there would be a Frank and Bill spinoff? Let us know down in the comments!