It’s hard to believe, but nearly a year and a half has passed since HBO’s critically acclaimed adaptation of The Last of Us debuted. While season 2 is well into production and won’t premiere until 2025, details about its structure are emerging.
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In a recent interview with Deadline, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (director of the original PlayStation games) confirmed a shorter season 2 with only seven episodes. This decision stems from the denser narrative of The Last of Us Part II compared to the first game. Mazin explained, “We had to find natural breakpoints to tell this story across seasons, and this season’s endpoint felt like it came after seven episodes.”
Despite the shorter season 2, Mazin hinted at a “significantly larger” season 3, leaving unclear whether it refers to episode count or overall scope. He even suggests the possibility of a fourth season, stating, “the story may require Season 4″ – contingent on continued audience interest. This ambition to stretch Part II over multiple seasons has raised some eyebrows, considering its already complex plot structure.
However, Mazin and Druckmann appear confident in their pacing and story segmentation. Druckmann reassured fans that the show will strictly adhere to the video game narrative, unlike HBO’s departure from source material in Game of Thrones. “There’s no world where I would want our show to go beyond the source material,” Mazin reiterated.
The interview also touched on the future of the game franchise. Surprisingly, Deadline reports that a potential third game has not been officially confirmed or greenlit for development, potentially delaying a new title by several years.
With Summer Games Fest approaching, speculation runs high about upcoming announcements from Sony and Naughty Dog. The most recent concrete news was the cancellation of a planned multiplayer game set in The Last of Us universe.
