HBO's hit TV drama based on the video game is coming back–here's what we know.

HBO's popular post-apocalyptic TV series The Last of Us was a ratings juggernaut, and it's coming back for a second season. The first season traced the events of Naughty Dog's 2013 video game from beginning to end, culminating in a heartbreaking and violent finale. Season 2 will follow the events of 2020's The Last of Us Part II, which means viewers are in for another round of violence, heartbreak, drama, and battles with human and infected enemies alike. Here's everything we know about HBO's The Last of Us Season 2. This gallery contains spoilers for The Last of Us franchise, spanning the games and the TV series.

When It's Coming?

The biggest question is the one we don't have the answer to. Pedro Pascal, who plays Joel, has said filming is expected to begin this year. Given that, a release in 2024 is possible. But nothing is certain as of yet, and some believe 2025 is more likely. Officially, HBO has said nothing about when to expect Season 2. While fans might have to wait a while for the next season, Naughty Dog's new Last of Us multiplayer game is expected to be officially unveiled later this year.

Ellie Won't Be Recast

Actress Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie, will come back to play the character once again in Season 2. She will not be recast, according to showrunner Craig Mazin and writer Neil Druckmann. There is a five-year time jump from Season 1 to Season 2, but this actually brings Ramsey more in line with Ellie. Ramsey is now 19 years old in real life, the same age as Ellie in The Last of Us Part II.

New Characters For Season 2

With Season 2 covering the events of The Last of Us Part II, viewers can expect to see a group of new characters join the cast. One of the most notable new characters is Abby Anderson. She is the daughter of Jerry Anderson, the doctor who was murdered by Joel at the end of Season 1. Abby is out for vengeance, and this is what drives a good amount of the plot in the game. Fans believe that Actress Shannon Berry will portray Abby in Season 2, but HBO has not confirmed any casting details. Season 2 will likely also introduce Dina, a close friend of Ellie. Other characters from the cast of The Last of Us Part II could appear, including Jesse, Leve, and Yara, among others. Like Season 1, there might also be new characters invented for the show who will appear in Season 2.

Radically Different Changes

Season 1 followed the events of 2013's Last of Us, but it made some key deviations as well like devoting an entire episode to the love story between Frank and Bill. In the Season finale, meanwhile, we saw Ellie's mom on screen for the first time and got a clue for how Ellie is immune to the cordyceps fungus. Season 2 seems like it'll follow a similar formula. Mazin told The Hollywood Reporter that, "[Season 2] will be different just as [Season 1] was different." But just how different and how much divergence will there be from the source material? Mazin said, "Sometimes it will be different radically. It won't be exactly like the game. It will be the show that Neil and I want to make."

The Creative Team Is Back For Season 2

Viewers may be happy to know that Mazin and Druckmann, the key creative minds behind Season 1, are coming back for Season 2. In a press release, Druckmann said, "Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with Season 2." For his part, Mazin thanked fans for giving them the chance to come back for a second season. "As a fan of the characters and world Neil and Naughty Dog created, I couldn't be more ready to dive back in."

Will There Be A Season 3?

We might be getting ahead of ourselves here, but many are wondering--just how many seasons will The Last of Us have? That remains to be seen. But, intriguingly, Mazin and Druckmann recently talked about how the events of The Last of Us Part II are not going to fit into one season. If the intention is to tell the whole story of the second game, this implies a third season. If The Last of Us gets a third season, we wouldn't expect the show to go much further beyond that.

Mazin has said he doesn't want The Last of Us to go on forever. He's intent on making sure The Last of Us doesn't overstay its welcome.

"I don't have any interest in a spinning-plates-go-on-forever show," Mazin said. "When it becomes a perpetual motion machine, it just can't help but get kind of… stupid. Endings mean everything to me." For his part, Druckmann said there are no plans to tell any stories beyond adapting the games. Right now, there is only The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II. Naughty Dog has not announced plans to make a third Last of Us game, so if the series will only adapt events of the games, it seems it will wrap up after telling the story of The Last of Us Part II.

Game director Neil Druckmann made things even more clear, plainly referencing Season 3 in a recent interview with Kinda Funny when discussing the future of the show.

Ratings

The Last of Us is a juggernaut of a TV series for HBO. The Season 1 finale reached 8.2 million viewers in the US on its first night, setting a record for the series. For episodes 1-6, the series is averaging 30.4 million viewers, which is more than the 29 million that HBO's House of the Dragon had on average for its first season.

Where Will Season 2 Air?

Like Season 1, the sophomore season of The Last of Us will air on HBO Max and HBO. The streaming service could have a new name by the time Season 2 arrives, though, as Warner Bros. Discovery is reportedly considering changing the name to simply "Max."

What's Going On With The Last Of Us Games?

Naughty Dog released the original The Last of Us in 2013 and followed it up with a sequel, The Last of Us Part II, in 2020. Naughty Dog's next game is a Last of Us multiplayer project. But what's after that? Druckmann recently teased that Naughty Dog has chosen its next game, but whether or not it's The Last of Us Part III or something else remains to be seen.

"At the end of every project we purposefully explore several different projects," Druckmann said about Naughty Dog's creative process, after explaining how the successful studio is lucky to be able to pick projects based on passion. "Some of them might be a sequel, and then a bunch of new ideas. And then we feel like, 'Where do our passions lie?'"

Druckmann said he understands people want Naughty Dog to make a third mainline Last of Us game, but that might not happen. Just as Naughty Dog stopped making Uncharted games, despite their huge popularity and sales, Naughty Dog could do the same with The Last of Us.

"I know the fans really want The Last Of Us Part III, I hear about it all the time," he continued. "All I can say is that we're already into our next project, the decision has already been made. I can't say what it is, but that is the process we went through."