Latest news with #TheLastofUsPartII
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Everything to Know About ‘The Last of Us' Season 3
The Last of Us, HBO's post-apocalyptic drama based on the PlayStation video game series of the same name, will return for a third season of mushroom monsters and character-driven storytelling. Like Season 2, Season 3 will be based on the game The Last of Us Part II, and tell the story from the perspective of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), the traumatized soldier who (spoiler alert) tortured and killed Joel (Pedro Pascal) in front of his adopted daughter Ellie (Bella Ramsey) early in Season 2. Abby is a playable character in the game, so the shift in perspective is an established part of the story, and an important element in establishing its themes of empathy and forgiveness. While we wait for news about Season 3, which could take a long while to produce, here's what we know about The Last of Us Season 3 so far, including cast, story, and potential premiere date. More from GoldDerby Jay Duplass on exposing his 'dad bod' and playing a 'soft villain' in 'Dying for Sex': 'Easily one of my biggest acting challenges' 5 slots isn't enough: More limited series deserve a chance to compete with 'Adolescence' Laugh tracks: The state of the 2025 Emmy comedy race The Last of Us was officially renewed for Season 3 in April 2025, shortly before the Season 2 premiere. There was a more than two-year gap between Seasons 1 and 2, and while the gap between Seasons 2 and 3 is likely to be shorter — the delay was partially due to the 2023 writers' and actors' strikes — it's still going to be long. It's rare for productions as large and visual effects-intensive as The Last of Us to take less than 18 months between seasons. Meanwhile, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann and executive producer Halley Gross are still in the process of writing Season 3, and no start-of-filming date has been announced, let alone a premiere date. It's unclear if Season 3 will be the final season, but whether it is or not, the producers hope to get it out into the world in a reasonable amount of time. 'It feels like we've got one or two more seasons,' Mazin told Variety ahead of the Season 2 premiere. 'It's getting harder to make, because every episode gets big. You don't want to wait four years for a 17-episode finish, or whatever it is.' Season 2 picks up about five years after the end of Season 1, when Joel massacred a hospital full of people in order to save Ellie, who is immune from the cordyceps infection that decimated humanity, from being killed so doctors could study her blood in order to find a cure. Ellie and Joel have found a home in the community of Jackson, Wyo., but their relationship has become strained because Joel lied to Ellie about what he did to save her. Ellie would like to forgive him, but doesn't know if she can. One day, during a simultaneous infected attack on Jackson, Abby, who is the daughter of the doctor Joel killed as he was about to operate on Ellie, and her crew of followers reach Jackson and capture Joel, Ellie, and Ellie's friend Dina (Isabela Merced). Abby kills Joel, and Ellie vows to get revenge (or justice, which is how she thinks of it) as Abby and her people leave. Ellie and Dina set out on a mission to find Abby, during the course of which they become a couple, Ellie reveals she's immune, and Dina reveals that she's pregnant. They track Abby to Seattle, where the paramilitary organization she's part of, the WLF, is involved in an ongoing conflict with a group of religious fanatics called the Seraphites. Ellie finds a member of Abby's group, Nora (Tati Gabrielle), and tortures her for Abby's whereabouts. Ellie ends up killing two more of Abby's friends, Owen (Spencer Lord) and Mel (Ariela Barer), the latter of whom was pregnant, before Abby finds her and Jesse (Young Mazino), the father of Dina's baby who has come from Jackson to help them. She kills Jesse, and as she's holding Ellie at gunpoint, we hear a shot ring out but don't see what happens. We then flash back to three days earlier, from Abby's point of view. Season 3 will primarily be told from Abby's point of view as she develops a friendship with Seraphite dissidents Yara and Lev while the WLF, led by ruthless pragmatist Isaac (Jeffrey Wright), prepares to attack the Seraphites' base. Dever, who was a guest star in Season 2, will become the show's lead, while Ramsey will shift to a supporting role for at least some of the season, though how much is still TBD. 'I think that I'm going to be there, but not a whole bunch,' Ramsey told Variety. 'We've had conversations about that. I sort of have a rough idea of what it's going to be, but I can't tell you.' Mazin said that how much already established characters like Ellie, Dina, Jesse, and Tommy (Gabriel Luna) will appear in Season 3 is still being worked out. 'All I can say is we haven't seen the last of Kaitlyn Dever and we haven't seen the last of Bella Ramsey, and we haven't seen the last of Isabela Merced, and we haven't seen the last of a lot of people who are currently dead in the story,' he said during a press conference for the Season 2 finale. Bella Ramsey and Kaitlyn Dever will of course return as Ellie and Abby, respectively. Isabela Merced will return as Dina and Gabriel Luna will return as Joel's brother Tommy. Jeffrey Wright will have a larger role as Isaac, who only appeared a few times in Season 2. Spencer Lord and Ariela Barer will also likely return, as Owen and Mel play important parts in Abby's story. But, again, the story for Season 3 is still being worked out, and the cast is officially unconfirmed. Season 3 will also introduce new characters, most importantly the aforementioned Yara and Lev, who have not been cast yet. Yara was played in the game by Victoria Grace, while Lev was played by Ian Alexander. It's possible that Pedro Pascal could return in flashbacks as Joel, but that's perhaps unlikely, as all of his important scenes from The Last of Us Part II were incorporated into Season 2. Like Seasons 1 and 2, Season 3 will air on HBO and be available to stream on HBO Max. Best of GoldDerby Jay Duplass on exposing his 'dad bod' and playing a 'soft villain' in 'Dying for Sex': 'Easily one of my biggest acting challenges' Jon Hamm on 'Your Friends and Neighbors': 'None of us are perfect specimens' 'I'm very happy to be busy': O-T Fagbenle on his trio of Emmy-eligible performances Click here to read the full article.
Time of India
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Is ‘The Last of Us' on tonight? HBO season 3 premiere date, schedule, and streaming options
There is no new episode of The Last of Us on HBO tonight, as Season 2 concluded last week. While the show won't return with new episodes until at least 2026, a Season 2 marathon will air today. HBO has confirmed The Last of Us Season 3 is in development The Last of Us Season 2 concluded with Episode 7 on HBO; Season 3 is currently in development with a possible 2026 or 2027 premiere No new episode of The Last of Us on HBO tonight Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads HBO confirms The Last of Us season 3 in development Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads How to stream The Last of Us on HBO and Max HBO will not air a new episode of The Last of Us tonight, June 1, as the Season 2 finale aired last week. Season 2 concluded with Episode 7, titled 'Convergence,' which ended the season's arc with a dramatic narrative shift to Abby's storyline Although there are no new episodes, HBO will air a The Last of Us Season 2 marathon today. The marathon begins at 12:36 p.m. ET and continues until 7:02 p.m. ET. Viewers can rewatch the entire second season, which featured seven read: The Last of Us Renewed for Season 3? Here's what to expect in upcoming season, and what we know about filming and cast The second season adapted the early events of The Last of Us Part II, including perspectives from Ellie, Joel, and Abby. With the narrative now transitioning to Abby's story, fans are looking ahead to what the next season will renewed The Last of Us for a third season on April 9, 2025. According to co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, Season 3 will continue adapting The Last of Us Part II, focusing more extensively on Abby's experience and the Seraphite conflict.'There is another side to this story that we have yet to really delve into,' Mazin said in a virtual press conference. He added that Abby will be positioned as the central character in her narrative and Druckmann also addressed several unresolved questions from Season 2, such as the origins of the Seraphites, the fate of their prophet, and Isaac's motivations. These elements are expected to be central in the third there is no confirmed release date, production timelines suggest The Last of Us Season 3 could premiere as early as late 2026. However, given historical delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, early 2027 remains a more likely read: The Last of Us season 3 coming soon? Here's everything you need to know about Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey's show All episodes of The Last of Us Seasons 1 and 2 are available for streaming on Max. New subscribers can access the service for $9.99/month with ads, or $16.99/month for an ad-free expanded streaming options , the Disney+ Bundle, which includes Disney+, Hulu, and Max, is available at $16.99/month with ads or $29.99/month without ads. This bundle allows viewers to stream multiple services at a discounted monthly who missed earlier seasons can catch up on the series through Max or tune into today's HBO marathon. The series has received critical acclaim for its adaptation of the original video game and remains one of HBO's flagship dramas.
Hindustan Times
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
The Last of Us Season 2 is brutal, beautiful, and burdened by its own ambition
The Last of Us stormed onto screens last year with a rare mix of prestige-drama emotion and genre spectacle, proving that a game adaptation could sit comfortably among television's finest. Set in a United States crippled by a brain-altering fungal pandemic, the show followed weary smuggler Joel (Pedro Pascal) and immune teenager Ellie (Bella Ramsey) on a cross-country trek that ended with Joel's morally catastrophic decision to save her life at humanity's expense. While its second is gorgeous, gripping, and well acted, its truncated scope and fixation on vengeance blunt the emotional power that made the first run unforgettable. Five years after the Salt Lake City massacre, Joel and Ellie have tried to build a life behind the fortified fences of Jackson, Wyoming. Their fragile détente is strained by Joel's secret—he lied about why the Fireflies abandoned a cure—and by Ellie's ordinary-but-extraordinary passage into young adulthood. Meanwhile Abby, daughter of the surgeon Joel killed, scours the country for payback, and two rival militias close in on the mountain settlement. Tensions inside and outside Jackson ignite a chain of violence that forces Ellie onto her own path, shadowed by Joel's example and haunted by questions of what justice really costs. The production values remain staggering: snow-caked streets, candle-lit cabins, and the show's signature nightmare fungi give every frame a painterly bleakness. Directors Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann still know how to wring dread from a creaking floorboard or a distant clicker's rasp. Performances are uniformly stellar. Pedro Pascal deepens Joel's weary regret, and Bella Ramsey excels as a 19-year-old Ellie whose sarcasm now guards genuine fury and confusion. Newcomers bring welcome texture: Kaitlyn Dever's Abby is a coiled spring of grief; Isabela Merced's Dina supplies warmth and gentle humor; Jeffrey Wright radiates chilly authority as militia leader Isaac; and Catherine O'Hara steals scenes as a therapist whose professional façade cracks around old wounds. When the season leans into intimate moments—Joel's halting therapy sessions, Ellie and Dina's mixtape-trading banter, Abby's whispered vows—the series feels as insightful as ever. Trimming The Last of Us Part II to seven episodes leaves the narrative stretched and oddly rushed. Crucial new players, especially Abby and Isaac, get sketch-note introductions when they deserve full-color portraits. Thematically, the script circles the idea of revenge until it begins to feel like lecture: every confrontation ends with a variation on 'hurt people hurt people,' yet the show seldom digs deeper than that slogan. Set-piece zombie battles, while technically impressive, occasionally resemble bonus levels inserted to pad run time. The absence of standalone detours—Season 1's most affecting hours—makes the pacing feel uniform and, paradoxically, slower. And the finale arrives so abruptly that it registers less as a climax than a mid-season pause designed to justify a third installment. Season 2 is still head-and-shoulders above most genre television, thanks to top-tier craft and performances that breathe life into every blood-spattered corner. Yet its narrower focus and didactic approach to vengeance mean it never reaches the cathartic highs or devastating lows of the debut run. Fans craving more time in this ruined America will find plenty to admire; those hoping for the next leap forward may leave feeling, like Ellie herself, hungrier than before.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Craig Mazin Says We ‘Overestimate' the ‘Allegorical Connections' Between TV Shows and Real News
'Some of us just can't be saved.' Whether you caught that line on 'The Last of Us' Season 2, Episode 3 — or said it to yourself at some point during the 2024 election — showrunner Craig Mazin isn't drawing all the parallels you think. Asked about the impact real news can have on a narrative TV audience, Mazin told IndieWire, 'Well, it's hard to tell sometimes.' 'I think we overestimate how much people apply what's happening in the world around them to their experience watching a television show or going to see a movie,' he said. 'It feels like a natural thing to imagine that they're making those allegorical connections, but the truth is I'm not sure we're making them that much and I'm not sure they're watching them in that way that much.' More from IndieWire 'Harry Potter' Series Star Paapa Essiedu Signs Open Letter Supporting Trans Rights in the U.K. 'The Better Sister' Trailer: Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks Are Estranged Siblings Investigating a Murder He continued, 'People often do connect to these things on their own terms. What I do know is that when times are hard, our business has always provided people joy, an 'escape.' People call it 'an escape.' I don't think it's an escape. I think it's a reminder of all those feelings that we feel, even if it makes us cry or if it makes us laugh. It gives us a chance to feel things safely in a place where there aren't permanent consequences, but we can kind of connect with each other and have a joint experience. That's what culture does. That's what art has always done, so I'm hopeful that that's how people come to this season.' A legendary title in the video game world, 'The Last of Us Part II' won hundreds of Game of the Year accolades after hitting consoles in June 2020. Simultaneously, the COVID-19 lockdown helped fuel several controversies around Naughty Dog's bold sequel — including the decision to kill off a beloved character (Mazin unpacked that bombshell for IndieWire separately) and giving hero Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey for HBO) a queer love interest (Isabela Merced). Speaking with IndieWire before 'The Last of Us' Season 2 premiered on April 13, Mazin defended his love of the source material. He also explained how thoroughly imagined characters can make an apocalypse feel more epic. Even adapting historical events for 'Chernobyl,' HBO's Emmy-winning miniseries from 2019 about the infamous Ukrainian nuclear disaster, Mazin said his instinct 'was to drill into the real, human relationships.' 'It's not the event ultimately that draws us dramatically towards it,' he said. 'What draws us is in is witnessing people and how they relate to each other in ways that are universally resonant with who we are.' Seemingly alluding to American politics (but, hey, maybe not!), Mazin continued, 'None of us are living in a mushroom apocalypse — not yet. Feels like we're teetering, but we're not there yet. But we connect with the story of Joel and Ellie because we understand their story isn't about a mushroom apocalypse. Their story is about fatherhood. It's about childhood. It's about love and loyalty. It is about the links we go to keep the people we love safe and the ways in which we damage them by trying to keep them safe.' He concluded, 'These are themes that we all deal with as children, as parents, as friends, as partners, all of us, and this season goes a little bit deeper down the path of what that means when you start to think of yourself and the people you love as 'us,' which naturally starts to create a boundary beyond which is 'them.' Well over there on 'them'? They're 'us' and we're 'them.' And now, when we are in opposition, how do we get out of this and how do we resolve things?' 'The Last of Us' Season 2 airs new episodes on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max. Best of IndieWire Christopher Nolan's Favorite Movies: 44 Films the Director Wants You to See The 25 Saddest TV Character Deaths of This Century Quentin Tarantino's Favorite Movies: 64 Films the Director Wants You to See
Geek Tyrant
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
THE LAST OF US Season 2 Showrunner Was 'Terrified' to Film Joel's Brutal Death; 'What Bella Did There Was Pretty Shattering' — GeekTyrant
If you've played The Last of Us Part II , you probably still carry the emotional scar of Joel's brutal death at the hands of Abby. It's one of the most talked-about moments in gaming, and as you know, it made its way into HBO's second season of The Last of Us . Showrunner Craig Mazin recently spoke about the pressure of bringing that moment to life for the screen—and the emotional gravity it carries. He said: 'I think the one that I was the most eager to create on screen and terrified to create on screen was Joel's death, and specifically, really, when I think about it, it wasn't so much the mechanics of Joel dying—you don't want to recapture what somebody did, but what Ashley Johnson did in the game is heart rending. 'Something like that is so traumatic and binds you to this character in a way that you weren't bound before... you were bound in a different way to that character before—you were bound to Ellie in season one in the first game, as the person that Joel loved after being unable to love for so long. 'Well, here we're bound to Ellie now in a very different way. And what Bella did there was pretty shattering.' The emotional weight Bella Ramsey brings to Ellie is meant to reshape how we connect to the character on screen. While some game-to-screen adaptations soften their edges, The Last of Us has leaned in on the intensity, knowing that this is a turning point not just for Ellie, but for the entire story moving forward. In the game, Joel's murder is jarring partly because of how little explanation the player gets. Abby's rage is felt, but not fully understood until later. On the show, the pacing shifts. The adaptation leans into clarity, with Abby (played by Kaitlyn Dever) revealing her motives as she stands over Joel. She tells him about the 18 soldiers—and the 'unarmed doctor' he killed. That doctor was her father. And with chilling calm, she lets Joel know exactly what's about to happen. Joel's death lands in Episode 2 of The Last of Us season 2, now streaming on HBO and it's a gut-punch, but it's also the narrative fuel for everything to come. So, how did you feel seeing that scene play out on screen? Did it hit you the same way as the game—or differently? Via: GamesRadar+
