When The Last of Us debuted on HBO about a year ago, it easily became one of the most buzzed-about television shows in recent memory. The live-action The Last of Us series, which adapts the beloved video game series of the same name, is currently gearing up for work on its second season, which has started a lot of conversation among the franchise’s fans. The fate of Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) in The Last of Us Part II is one of the most major plot developments in the entire franchise, and some have wondered exactly how it might carry over into The Last of Us TV show. In a recent interview with Deadline, Pascal addressed the possibility that Season 2 of The Last of Us might deviate from the source material with regards to Joel — and revealed that he doesn’t fully have an idea of what the plan is.
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“I think that they’re always going to find ways to build on the incredible source material that they have, and surprise us with how they can use that material in a different format, like a television show,” Pascal explained. “But I wouldn’t want to spoil it for anybody, and the truth is, I don’t actually have all of the information, as of yet.”
Will Joel Survive in The Last of Us Season 2?
Pascal’s new comments come after The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin teased that the show might stray from its source material with regards to Joel. As those who have played The Last of Us Part II know, Joel dies several hours into the game by being hit with a golf club by new character Abby, before the game pivots to Ellie and Abby as protagonists.
“This should be fairly obvious to anyone by now, but I don’t fear killing characters,” Mazin explained in an interview last year. “But the important thing to note is that neither Neil [Druckmann, who co-created and exec-produces the series with Mazin] nor I feel constrained by the source material.”
Who Is Cast in Season 2 of The Last of Us?
New cast members for The Last of Us Season 2 will include Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart, No One Will Save You) as Abby, Isabela Merced (Madame Web, Superman: Legacy) as Dina, and Young Mazino (Beef, Prodigal Son) as Jesse.
“I’m never gonna say there are things that are gonna happen in the show that happened in the game. You never know what we’re gonna do,” Mazin revealed in an interview last year. “But I will say that it is the adventure, the journey is the point. There are things that will shock people, things that were in the game, things that were not in the game, and that’s okay. As long as they’re purposeful, they’re not there to just simply shock. We are not interested in creating social media fear. We just want to tell the story the way we think it should be told.”
“Will there be furor? Yeah, probably. I mean, there usually is, starting even with casting,” Mazin continued. “We knew they were the exact right person to cast and they had to go through quite a few months of people being awful on social media until they saw what we saw. That, to me, is the point. We don’t operate to either make people happy on social media or avoid making them upset. We just do what we think is right, and we hope that people come along for the ride and enjoy it.”
What do you think of Pedro Pascal’s new comments about Season 2 of The Last of Us? Do you hope the TV show changes Joel’s fate? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
