Joel and Ellie will continue their battles in a post-apocalyptic world when The Last of Us Season 2 returns to screens this spring. During Sony’s press conference at CES on Monday, co-creator, writer, and executive producer Neil Druckmann announced that the long-awaited second season of the Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey-starring series, based on Naughty Dog’s video game of the same name, will premiere on HBO and Max in April, more than two years after the Season 1 finale. The premiere date window was announced alongside a new teaser trailer for the seven-episode season.
Adapting the events of 2020’s The Last of Us Part II, Season 2 is set five years after the events of Season 1, per the official logline, and will see “Joel and Ellie are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.”
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The minute-long teaser gave a brief glimpse at what’s to come, with Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby saying in a haunting voiceover, “It doesn’t matter if you have a code like me, there are just some things everyone agrees are just wrong.” The clip also showed the group of survivors fighting to defend their settlement in Jackson, Wyoming, as well as a glimpse of Ellie and her love interest Dina, portrayed by Isabela Merced.
Along with Pascal and Ramsey reprising their roles as Joel and Ellie, the Season 2 returning cast includes Gabriel Luna as Tommy and Rutina Wesley as Maria. Season 2 will also introduce a roster of new characters, including Dever’s Abby, a revenge-seeking soldier. New cast members also include Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny, and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac. Meanwhile, Catherine O’Hara guest stars.
The Last of Us is based on Naughty Dog’s award-winning video game of the same name and is set 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed by a mass fungal infection caused by a mutation in the genus Cordyceps. The series debuted in January 2023 and was an instant hit, earning 24 Emmy nominations and scoring eight wins.
The series is written and produced by Druckmann and Craig Mazin. The lineup of Season 2 directors includes returning directors Druckmann, Mazin, and Peter Hoar, as well as Mark Mylod (Succession, The Menu) alongside Nina Lopez-Corrado (Perry Mason), Stephen Williams (Watchmen) and Kate Herron (Loki).