The Last of Us season 2: Release date speculation and latest news

Along the way, we found out more about the pair's backstories, including heart-wrenching appearances from Nico Parker and Storm Reid, and a glorious love story starring Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett.

Meanwhile, the season ended on a heartbreaking note, with Joel fighting for his life to rescue Ellie – and lying to her about it to ensure her safety.

But secrets can't stay hidden forever. And it looks like the lie will continue to cast a shadow over his relationship with Ellie in season 2, if the new trailer is anything to go by.

And now the new footage for season 2 – which picks up five years after the end of season 1 – has given fans a first glimpse at Joel wrestling with his demons following on from that monumental lie.

The trailer (scroll down to see it) shows Joel and Ellie living a peaceful life at the Jackson Ranch, but it doesn’t last long, as Catherine O’Hara’s mystery character is seen speaking to Joel and encouraging him to admit his actions at the end of the first season.

O'Hara's character tells him: "You can’t heal something unless you say it out loud. Say the thing you’re afraid to say."

Viewers are given a glimpse at what’s to come – and it looks to be a rough ride for Joel and Ellie.

The new trailer also gives fans a first look at new characters, including Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby and Isabela Merced's Dina.

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."

HBO released the first trailer for the new season back in August, giving fans a look at various dramatic moments, including Ellie (Bella Ramsey) screaming, Joel's brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) using a sniper to attack the infected, and Jeffrey Wright's new character and Ellie both turning their weapons on the enemy.

Alongside the trailer, HBO previously released some incredible first-look images of stars Pascal and Ramsey.

With the official release window now confirmed, read everything we know so far about the release of The Last of Us season 2.

The Last of Us season 2 release date speculation

The Last of Us season 2 is expected to release in the "first half" of 2025, according to HBO chief Casey Bloys.

Speaking to Deadline after the 2024 Primetime Emmys award ceremony, Bloys said: "Well, all I’ll say now, generally first half of the year, I expect them [The Last of Us season 2 and recent Emmy winner Hacks] to be in the Emmy window [for 2025]."

This implies the series will be back on our screens before the end of May 2025, which tends to be the cut-off point for Emmy eligibility.

A 2025 release date won’t come as a huge surprise for fans of the show, given that filming on the second season kicked off in January 2024, and wrapped in late August.

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!"

We also know some of the directors who will be joining the fray for season 2. Mark Mylod, who has received global acclaim for his work on the HBO drama, is one of four new directors on board to helm The Last of Us season 2, Deadline has reported.

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.

Mazin added: "You have noted correctly that we will not say how many. But more than one is factually correct."

It's likely that we'll see a time jump, with Ramsey previously telling the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast: "I'll be 20, probably by the time we shoot that, and I'll be playing 19," Ramsey said. "So yeah, I will be closer to my age."

Speaking about the second season, Druckmann also told ComicBook.com: "It will be different. Just as this season was different.

"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."

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

The new run will be slightly shorter than the first: while season 1 was made up of nine episodes, season 2 will be consist of seven.

But this won’t mean that showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann will 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 national 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
• Kaitlyn Dever as Abby
• Isabela Merced as Dina
• Young Mazino as Jesse
• Gabriel Luna as Tommy
• Rutina Wesley as Maria

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

2024 got off to an exciting star with Kaitlyn Dever being announced as Abby, a character who will play a key part in Ellie's journey in season 2. Elsewhere, Isabela Merced was announced as Dina, while Young Mazino was confirmed to play Jesse.

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

However, Craig Mazin has made it clear that, despite recent reports, Offerman and Bartlett will not be returning as Bill and Frank.

He recently told Deadline: "I’m very proud of the episode we did with Bill and Frank. There won’t be more Bill and Frank."

What could the plot of The Last of Us season 2 be?

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 big role.

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."

Weighing on whether there will be changes from the game this time around, Joel star Pascal told Deadline: “Does it deviate from the game? That’s a good question.

"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.

"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."

However, co-showrunners Mazin and Druckmann have said that their way of approaching the season won't change.

Speaking to Deadline, Druckmann said: "We loved what we made. We’re very proud of it. Fans have responded very positively to it. So, for us now, it’s important to replicate the process, how Craig and I work, and how we’re going to put the show together.

"There’s some learnings and things that I feel we can make it even better going into season 2, but the pressure is usually self-imposed more from the outside, so I want to make sure we end up with something that, again, we’re proud of and does justice to the game that came before it."

Meanwhile, Mazin added: "From a process point of view, Neil and I are pretty much in agreement that we’re not changing a damn thing.

"Our process worked. We worked really well together. We adapted where we wanted to adapt, how we wanted to adapt. We stayed close to the material. Sometimes we drifted away from the material, but that process worked great. So, we’re not changing that process at all. We are going to [continue to] push ourselves in all sorts of ways."

One of the ways they will be pushing themselves is in the use of technology, with Mazin saying they're going to "keep moving the bar up and up and up". As if we couldn't get any more excited.

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

Currently, only two seasons are confirmed. However, it's likely that there will be at least three seasons of the show.

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 have 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 first full trailer has now been released, and it's pretty ominous. Watch below:

The first teaser trailer was unveiled earlier this year, giving fans their first look at some of the show's new cast, including Catherine O'Hara, who appears to be playing some sort of therapist.

You can watch it below:

Read more about The Last of Us season 2:

• Meet the cast of The Last of Us season 2
• The Last of Us season 2 casts Booksmart star in major role
• The Last of Us season 2 "will be different" as star teases what's to come
• The Last of Us needs to end after season 2

The Last of Us season 1 is available on Sky Atlantic and NOW with an Entertainment Membership.

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