The Last of Us creators confirm Part II will be adapted into multiple seasons

The Last of Us creators have teased that there is more to come from the acclaimed Alberta-shot HBO series beyond its previously confirmed second season.

In an interview with GQ about the March 12th Season 1 finale, creators and showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin were pressed on what’s to come. While the pair have confirmed that Season 2 will adapt The Last of Us Part II, the extent to which has remained unclear. When asked whether Season 2 will “span the entire course of the second game,” Druckmann said, “it’s more than one season.”

Although Mazin had previously teased that Part II is “more than a season’s worth of television,” this is the first time both he and Druckmann have definitively commented on there being multiple seasons in the works. Of course, the final say will come down to whether HBO renews the series again, but for now, at least, we know the creators are planning to tackle the story in this way. Given how popular The Last of Us has been, though — HBO’s second-biggest series premiere after only House of the Dragon — it’s not a stretch to think Season 2 will garner a similarly large audience.

Interestingly, though, the pair declined to specify whether this means we’re getting two or three more seasons. “You have noted correctly that we will not say how many,” responded Mazin with a laugh. “But more than one is factually correct.”

Those who have played both The Last of Us games will certainly understand Druckmann and Mazin’s reasoning. The first game is roughly 15 hours to complete, while the sequel is nearly 25 hours. Without getting into spoilers, Part II — which takes place five years after the first game — is also much more ambitious in its narrative structure, with many jumps in perspective and time periods.

While Mazin and Druckmann didn’t provide any details on how they’re handling this, they did acknowledge complaints that Season 1 didn’t have many infected creatures.

“Ultimately, we generally stressed the power of relationships and trying to find significance within moments of action,” Mazin said during a virtual press conference, via Variety. “And so there may be less action than some people wanted because we couldn’t necessarily find significance for quite a bit of it, or [there was] concern that it would be repetitive.”

However, he did tease that “it’s quite possible that there will be a lot more infected later. And perhaps different kinds” in Season 2.

It’s also worth noting that Laura Bailey, who plays a major new character in Part II named Abby, also made a cameo in the Season 1 finale. Druckmann and Mazin also teased that she could play a different, bigger role in future seasons, similar to what they gave to game actors Troy Baker (Joel), Ashley Johnson (Ellie) and Jeffrey Pierce (Tommy).

A release window for The Last of Us Season 2 has not yet been confirmed. Season 1 is currently streaming on Crave in Canada.

Source: GQ