The Last of Us season 2: Release date, trailer, latest news

"So it was tough, long days, but the whole cast and crew just bonded together so well. It made it a really incredible experience."

Meanwhile, the show's co-creator Craig Mazin has drawn comparisons with The Empire Strikes Back.

“I think about that a lot — because I love The Empire Strikes Back, and I think everybody should,” he said after acknowledging in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that the trailer footage has echoes of the Star Wars film.

"We love that one because the second act is the tough act. That’s when everything is challenged and characters go through these moments where they can’t be who they used to be, but they’re also not ready to be who they’re supposed to be. There’s a sense of feeling lost. And I love that.”

Mazin went on to discuss what he's most excited for fans to see in season 2.

"There are a lot of duos," he said. "Our show seems to be live in this duopolistic world where you have Joel and Ellie Henry and Sam, Ellie and Riley … It’s always this interesting duopoly where everything gets shrunk down to these twosomes.

"This season we introduce more of these duopolies that I love... Watching Joel and Ellie is special in this season, but our community of Ellie and Dina [played by Isabela Merced] is special. Ellie and Jesse [played by Young Mazino] have this remarkable friendship. I can’t wait for people to experience our world through these new twosomes."

The new batch of episodes is slightly shorter than the first season but shouldn't be any less tense, twisted or like an emotional stab to the heart.

Picking up five years after the heartbreaking final season 1 episode, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) are in a difficult spot in their lives, with a rift continuing to form between the once close pair.

Pascal has admitted that going into the events of season 2, he was "in an unhealthy mindset" simply because of it being "hard for me to separate what the characters are going through and how it makes me feel, in a way that isn’t very healthy. And so I kind of feel their pain."

Speaking of the fractured relationship between Joel and Ellie in season 2, Ramsey said at Deadline’s Contenders TV event: "There’s definitely some doubt that Ellie has about that lie that Joel told her at the end of season 1, so I think that plays a big part in the shift in the relationship.

"It’s really difficult playing being cold to him… it’s sadder for sure. And it will continue to just get sadder and more cold… so look forward to that."

There are plenty of new additions to season 2 as well, including the arrival of long-awaited new character Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever. Dever was actually originally eyed for the role of Ellie when a film adaptation of the games was planned many years ago.

Thankfully, these things have a way of coming back around, and remarking on her inclusion in The Last of Us season 2, Dever told The Hollywood Reporter: "It almost felt like, 'Oh, this was always meant to be in my life, just in a different way,' and that felt really cool."

Fans will also be delighted that The Last of Us has already been renewed for a third season, ahead of its season 2 premiere, meaning that there's plenty more to come in the post-apocalyptic series.

On the announcement of the renewal, co-creator Craig Mazin said: "We approached season 2 with the goal of creating something we could be proud of. The end results have exceeded even our most ambitious goals, thanks to our continued collaboration with HBO and the impeccable work of our unparalleled cast and crew."

Mazin had previously told Deadline that he felt the series has "one or two more seasons" before reaching the end of Part II, so we'll simply just have to wait and see.

Game creator and show co-creator Neil Druckmann also told Entertainment Weekly: "We have a plan. We know what we need to do going forward, but we couldn't tell you right now exactly how many episodes or how many seasons it would take to get there."

But what will season 2 be about, who will star and when will it be released? Read on for everything we know so far about the release of The Last of Us season 2.

The Last of Us season 2 release date: When is it coming out in the UK?

The Last of Us season 2 premieres in the US on Sunday 13th April from 9pm PT/ET on HBO and Max, set to be broadcast simultaneously in the UK at 2am on Monday 14th April on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW.

For UK fans, the new season will also repeat its episodes on Mondays at 9pm on Sky Atlantic, with new episodes being released weekly.

The show was renewed for season 2 back in 2023, with executive producer Neil Druckmann, who created the game, saying at the time: "I’m humbled, honoured and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey.

"The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast and crew and HBO exceeded my already high expectations.

"Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season 2! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog and PlayStation, thank you!"

Some of the directors joining the fray for season 2 include Mark Mylod, who has received global acclaim for his work on the HBO drama Succession.

He'll be joined by Nina Lopez-Corrado, who's known for Perry Mason, Stephen Williams, who's known for Watchmen, and Kate Herron, known for Loki as well as upcoming episodes of Doctor Who.

The four new directors join Peter Hoar, who directed the widely-loved episode 3, and, of course, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann.

How many episodes will there be in The Last of Us season 2?

Season 2 will consist of seven episodes, making it shorter than season 1's nine-episode run.

But this won’t mean that showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann will be compressing any material in season 2, which will be adapted from the second instalment in the video game series.

Mazin previously told Deadline: "The story material that we got from Part II of the game is way more than the story material that was in the first game, so part of what we had to do from the start was figure out how to tell that story across seasons."

He continued: "When you do that, you look for natural breakpoints, and as we laid it out, this season, the natural breakpoint felt like it came after seven episodes.

"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."

Who will star in The Last of Us season 2?

The following actors are confirmed for The Last of Us season 2:

• Pedro Pascal as Joel
• Bella Ramsey as Ellie
• Gabriel Luna as Tommy
• Rutina Wesley as Maria
• Kaitlyn Dever as Abby
• Isabela Merced as Dina
• Young Mazino as Jesse
• Ariela Barer as Mel
• Tati Gabrielle as Nora
• Spencer Lord as Owen
• Danny Ramirez as Manny
• Jeffrey Wright as Isaac
• Catherine O’Hara as TBC
• Joe Pantoliano as Eugene
• Alanna Ubach as Hanrahan
• Ben Ahlers as Burton
• Hettienne Park as Elise
• Robert John Burke as Seth
• Noah Lamanna as Kat

Pascal and Ramsey will return alongside a stellar cast, which now includes Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, and Young Mazino.

In 2024, Kaitlyn Dever was confirmed to be playing Abby, a character who will play a key part in Ellie's journey in season 2.

"I didn’t even audition," she told The Hollywood Reporter. "It was only just like meetings I was having with Neil. I was going to Naughty Dog and he was showing me how the game was created and definitely giving me spoilers for game 2 years before it came out; I had to carry a lot of weight, it’s been rough these last 10 years, I have to say.

"I always thought about it as this thing that I bonded a lot with my dad and we played the game together. I had those few months where I was talking to Neil about potentially playing Ellie, but then, as moviemaking goes, that went away for a while."

Recently, Mazin and Druckmann staunchly defended Dever's casting to Entertainment Weekly.

Preempting any backlash from fans about Dever playing Abby, especially when it comes to how the character looks, Neil Druckmann said: "We value performance over anything else.

"We need someone to really capture the essence of those characters.... We don't value as much, 'Do they look exactly like the character with their eyebrows or their nose or their body?' Whatever it is.

"It's not nowhere on the priority list, but it's below a bunch of other things that we consider."

Elsewhere, Isabela Merced was announced as Dina, while Young Mazino was confirmed to play Jesse.

Jeffrey Wright will be joining the cast as Isaac, a character he also played in the game. He has teased that, this time around, we could find out more about the character's backstory.

He told TV Line: "People have asked… whether we’ll get a little bit of a backstory about Isaac? We might, we might. It might not be pretty."

Catherine O'Hara is also set to star in a mysterious new role, with the character seemingly acting as a sort of therapist to Joel.

"It’s such a powerful show and so beautifully done,” she told Vanity Fair. “She’s the only therapist in town—and what a clientele, can you imagine? So she’s not in the best mood when you see her.”

O'Hara has said of her role, when speaking with Entertainment Weekly: "I have an odd relationship with Pedro's character. You don't quite know why she's got... well, she's got this edge to her, but it makes for some weird, good dark comedy, I think. So it's there. I never want to deny the gift of humour."

Meanwhile, in March 2025, a host of new stars were announced as joining the series, including the likes of Joe Pantoliano, Alanna Ubach and Ben Ahlers.

There are plenty of stars who we're not expecting to see back, though, including Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett as Bill and Frank. The pair were universally praised for their heartbreaking performances in season 1 episode 3.

We also wouldn't expect to see the likes of Nico Parker back as Sarah, or Storm Reid as Riley after their deaths in season 1.

What is the plot of The Last of Us season 2?

The official logline for season 2 reads: "After five years of peace following the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie’s collective past catches up to them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind."

Season 2 looks to generally follow the plot of the video game The Last of Us Part 2 – although, as with season 1, there will be deviations.

To that end, we're expecting to see Ellie take the limelight as she tackles the WLF (the Washington Liberation Front), or the Wolves, a militia group led by Abby (played by Kaitlyn Dever), and comprised of a group of former Fireflies.

New cast members added to the show give us some of the best clues as to where the story will go, with it being clear that Dina (now played by Isabela Merced), who plays a big role in the second video game, will play a major role in the series too.

Showrunner Craig Mazin previously revealed that, just like with season 1, he won’t be afraid to take the narrative in a different direction.

"It will be different. Just as this season was different," he told ComicBook.com. "Sometimes it will be different radically and sometimes it will be barely different at all. But it's going to be different and it will be its own thing."

He added: "It won't be exactly like the game. It will be the show that Neil [Druckmann, co-creator] and I want to make."

Mazin told The Hollywood Reporter that this season will be a different one for Ellie and Joel, stating that this season, "They aren’t getting away with s**t."

Speaking about how the second season could be akin to The Empire Strikes Back, Mazin said: "I think about that a lot — because I love The Empire Strikes Back, and I think everybody should.

"We love that one because the second act is the tough act. That’s when everything is challenged and characters go through these moments where they can’t be who they used to be, but they’re also not ready to be who they’re supposed to be. There’s a sense of feeling lost. And I love that."

When is The Last of Us season 2 set?

The Last of Us season 2 is set five years after season 1, meaning there will be some big changes afoot and paving the way for new characters to make their debut.

How many seasons of The Last of Us will there be?

Ahead of its season 2 premiere, The Last of Us was renewed for season 3, meaning that three seasons of the hit series have now been confirmed.

Francesca Orsi, executive vice president, HBO programming, head of HBO drama series and films, said of the renewal: "It can’t be overemphasised how proud HBO is for the outstanding achievement we believe the second season of The Last of Us is.

"Craig, Neil, Carolyn [Strauss] and the entire executive producer team, cast and crew have delivered a masterful follow-up and we’re thrilled to carry the power of Craig and Neil’s storytelling into what we know will be an equally moving and extraordinary third season."

Bella Ramsey previously told Elle that they would come back to The Last of Us "forever".

"There’s no limits for me," they added. "They can do as many games as they like, as many series as they like, and I’ll be here, flying back out to Canada."

Meanwhile, Druckmann and Mazin previously also said that the second season likely won't cover the whole of the second game, pretty much confirming that season 3 will also be happening. "It’s more than one season," Druckmann told GQ.

Is there a trailer for The Last of Us season 2?

Yes, the second full trailer was released in March 2025, which you can watch here.

The Last of Us season 1 is available on Sky Atlantic and NOW with an Entertainment Membership. Season 2 will be released in April.

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