The Last of Us season 2: HBO Max launch date prediction, trailer, confirmed forged, plot particulars, and extra information and rumors

There’s mild on the finish of The Last of Us season 2 launch date tunnel, everybody. HBO’s vastly profitable adaptation of Naughty Dog’s beloved videogame franchise is ready to reach earlier than June 2025, so the countdown is effectively and really on for its arrival.

Before we’re reunited with Joel and Ellie, nevertheless, you have acquired plenty of studying as much as do on The Last of Us‘ sophomore outing. Below, we have rounded up the newest data on the post-apocalyptic horror-drama present, which is ready to debut on Max and HBO (US), Sky and Now TV (UK), and Binge (Australia). That contains our launch date prediction, confirmed forged particulars, story specifics, and its first teaser trailer.

Major spoilers comply with for The Last of Us season 1 and the video games that the collection is impressed by. Potential spoilers are additionally mentioned for top-of-the-line Max reveals’ subsequent installment.

The Last of Us season 2 launch date prediction

The Last of Us season 2 does not have a agency launch date but however, in September, HBO chief Casey Bloys confirmed it’s going to launch within the “first half of 2025”.

So, when do we expect it’s going to premiere? Usually, HBO releases one in every of its big-budget reveals simply after the flip of a brand new 12 months, which it did with The Last of Us‘ first season and True Detective: Night Country in January 2022 and January 2023 respectively. However, with filming solely wrapping on season 2 in September, we think about there is a lengthy post-production section that’ll have to be accomplished earlier than it is launched. 

If HBO wished it to launch on a very becoming day, it might launch the collection’ subsequent chapter on June 19, i.e. the identical date that The Last of Us Part II – the second recreation in Naughty Dog’s award-winning franchise – arrived. However, June 19 falls on a Thursday subsequent 12 months and, whereas one other HBO present in The Penguin premiered on a Thursday this 12 months (September 19), it is very uncommon that HBO releases its hottest reveals on some other day aside from a Sunday. It’s for that motive, then, that we expect season 2 will arrive on June 22, simply 72 hours after its videogame namesake’s five-year anniversary.

The Last of Us season 2 trailer

The Last of Us season 2’s first trailer was launched on The Last of Us Day, aka September 26 – the in-universe date that the Cordyceps virus ravaged humanity and destroyed life as we all know it – and it confirmed two issues. Number one: as soon as once more, it is going to be extremely devoted to its videogame namesake. Number two: we’re not able to have our hearts damaged once more.

Before its first teaser arrived, a Max sizzle reel trailer highlighting its forthcoming lineup of thrilling HBO reveals was, from a footage perspective, all we needed to go on. That got here nearly three months after the primary photographs for The Last of Us‘ second season have been revealed, too.

There’s quite a bit we might select from season 2’s first trailer, however we’ll be entering into spoiler territory if we elaborate an excessive amount of on what it reveals. You can learn a bit extra about its latest batch of footage in our forged and plot sections – simply watch out as a result of there are mild to gentle spoilers from this level on.

The Last of Us season 2 confirmed forged

Here’s the forged for The Last of Us season 2 thus far:

• 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
• Jeffrey Wright as Isaac
• Danny Ramirez as Manny
• Catherine O’Hara as TBC

The first 4 actors reprise their roles from the present’s first season, they usually’ll be joined within the main participant class by No One Will Save You‘s Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, the second recreation’s deuteragonist and season 2’s major antagonist. Dever is joined on the newcomers entrance by Beef star Young Mazino, who will painting one in every of Ellie’s buddies Jesse and Alien: Romulus‘ Isabela Merced as one other of Ellie’s companions (and girlfriend) Dina.

O’Hara’s involvement was confirmed by HBO in February and, though there isn’t any phrase on the identification of her character, it appears she’ll be Joel’s therapist or a detailed confidante that he discusses that season 1 finale second with. Wright was additionally revealed to be a part of proceedings by HBO in May, the Marvel voice actor tapped to painting Isaac Dixon, chief of the Washington Liberation Front and a key ally of Abby’s in The Last of Us Part II. Further forged confirmations got here in March (per Deadline) with Ramirez, Gabrielle, Barer, and Lord all signing on to play different members of the Washington Liberation Front.

The Last of Us season 2 plot hypothesis

Major spoilers comply with for The Last of Us season 1 and Naughty Dog online game The Last of Us Part II.

Here’s The Last of Us season 2’s official logline, courtesy of HBO: “After 5 years of peace following the occasions of the primary season, Joel and Ellie’s collective previous catches as much as them, drawing them into battle with one another and a world much more harmful and unpredictable than the one they left behind.”

Not quite a bit to go on, then. However, primarily based on The Last of Us Part II, plus what occurred within the season 1 finale, we have got a good suggestion of what lies forward for the aforementioned duo and the collection’ different characters. We’ll chorus from gifting away any main spoilers from the second recreation – we’re not that heartless – however there are some spoiler-less elements we will talk about.

Firstly, season 2 will not be so long as its predecessor. As we reported in June, co-showrunner Craig Mazin revealed The Last of Us’ subsequent chapter will solely have seven episodes as that felt just like the “pure breakpoint” for this chapter. Considering he and co-creator Neil Druckman plan to inform The Last of Us Part II‘s story throughout two seasons, that appears nearly as good a motive as any to make the forthcoming installment shorter.

As the logline confirms, season 2, like The Last of Us Part II, is ready 5 years later, so Joel and Ellie have turn into established residents of Jackson, the Wyoming city that the traveled to to be able to discover Joel’s brother Tommy in season 1.

Things, although, will not stay rosy between the pair. In season 1 episode 9, Joel determined to not inform Ellie what truly occurred on the Fireflies camp – i.e. that they have been going to kill her to be able to develop a treatment for the Cordyceps an infection. Ellie is totally proof against the illness, which is why the Fireflies have been so eager to get their fingers on her. 

When Joel finds out about this, he massacres them to save lots of Ellie’s life. It’s an comprehensible resolution, particularly in mild of what occurred to his personal daughter Sarah in season 1’s opening episode. Still, he is seemingly consigned humanity to proceed its battle in opposition to the an infection along with his egocentric actions and, as evidenced by the footage we have seen, he is nonetheless feeling responsible about not coming clear to Ellie.

Elsewhere, there are new intruders seeking to avenge deaths from season 1, and one particular occasion will culminate in a catastrophic and stunning loss of life (if you recognize, you recognize). Other remaining characters should forge new alliances, there’s a brand new non secular cult on the scene – the Seraphites – for Ellie and firm to take care of, a brand new ex-Fireflies militia pressure known as the Washington Liberation Front, and one other terrifying group who enslave folks known as the Rattlers. All in all, our heroes are in for a hectic, violent, and emotional sequel season.

“It’s darker,” Ramsey informed Vanity Fair in June 2023. “It’s actually a narrative about revenge, and a continuation from the primary season in regards to the risks of unconditional love.”

If that feels like season 2 will ignore the Infected in favor of human-on-human motion, do not fret. Speaking to Variety final March, Mazin and Druckmann stated of the Infected – whose design was impressed by bean sprouts, in line with the present’s VFX animation supervisor – confirmed there will be a larger number of flesh-hungry monsters for our heroes and villains to fret about this season.

In a lot the identical manner as season 1 expanded on the franchise’s universe and characters, its follow-up will do likewise. Previously, Druckmann informed TechRadar that “we could not have informed this story within the recreation”, the TV adaptation’s timeline change was made to “assist make the story extra actual”, and the present’s third episode allowed it to “go in a distinct path” to what performs out within the video games.

So, there is a precedent for Naughty Dog, HBO, and Sony Pictures Television (the present’s three manufacturing corporations) to make modifications the place crucial. Chatting to Deadline, Druckmann stated the present’s government workforce is taking part in round with how a lot would possibly change within the TV adaptation’s subsequent entry, teasing: “The moment-to-moment beats and characters, they could keep the identical, they could change. We will do what must occur to that story because it transfers from one medium to a different.” 

Adding to Druckmann’s feedback, Mazin additionally urged we cannot see each storyline from The Last of Us Part II in season 2 (extra on that shortly). Finally, in November 2023, Druckmann confirmed season 2 will include brand-new materials not seen within the video games, so there will be some new content material for very long time followers to immerse themselves in.

Will The Last of Us season 2 be the ultimate installment?

While there are solely two video video games – Druckmann says Naughty Dog has a “idea” in thoughts for The Last of Us Part III, for what it is price – HBO’s TV adaptation might probably run for 3 seasons. As HBO’s Francesca Orsi informed Deadline: “I believe Craig and Neil are nonetheless determining the place they’re going to return to an finish.  We have loosely heard that there will likely be a season 3 thought, however at this level, we’re taking it one season at a time. There’s no assure at this level that we’ll have a season 3, however I do know that they each have a imaginative and prescient for season 3. Whether that lends itself to doing extra [seasons], I don’t know but.”

Happily, Mazin has confirmed plans for season 3 in a separate Deadline interview, saying: “It [the second game] goes to be a couple of season. There’s extra story, so this present won’t finish with season 2 except folks don’t watch it and we’ll get cancelled”. And there’s just about no likelihood of that occuring, in our opinion. Once a 3rd season is greenlit, we’ll let you recognize.

For extra Max TV-based protection, learn our guides on Euphoria season 3, Creature Commandos, and House of the Dragon season 3.