The Last of Us Showrunner Has Plans to Expand the HBO Series Beyond Season 2

You haven't seen the last of The Last of Us. HBO's hit live-action adaptation of the PlayStation video game is returning for a season 2 based on 2020's The Last of Us Part II, picking up four years after cordyceps apocalypse survivors Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey) settle in the community of Jackson, Wyoming. Series co-creator and writer Neil Druckmann has already confirmed that there are "no plans to tell any stories beyond adapting the games," but co-creator and showrunner Craig Mazin says HBO's The Last of Us won't end after the second season. 

There is "quite a bit of story to tell" in adapting The Last of Us Part II, Mazin said during the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas (via Deadline). "Our plan is to do it not just for one more season. We should be around for a while."

The nine-episode first season adapted material from 2013's The Last of Us and the DLC The Last of Us: Left Behind, a prequel/midquel taking place before and during the events of the first game. The sequel expands the narrative with the introduction of a controversial but key character who becomes a playable protagonist in Part II.

Mazin confirmed Season 2 is still in the scripting stage and will film in British Columbia. According to Ramsey, production will begin later this year for a potential late 2024 or early 2025 release on HBO and Max, the recently rebranded Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service formerly known as HBO Max.

"We have no plans to tell any stories beyond adapting the games. We won't run into the same issue as Game of Thrones since Part II doesn't end on a cliffhanger," Druckmann previously told The Hollywood Reporter, referencing the HBO fantasy drama outpacing its source material. While The Last of Us Part II will span multiple seasons, Druckmann said, "I don't have any interest in a spinning-plates-go-on-forever show. When it becomes a perpetual motion machine, it just can't help but get kind of … stupid. Endings mean everything to me."

All episodes of The Last of Us season 1 are now streaming on HBO Max; the nine-episode complete first season is now available to own digitally and releases on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and DVD on July 18th.