The Last of Us continues with Season 2 in a few days. Showrunner Craig Mazin compares the new chapter of the end-time drama to the dark Star Wars sequel.
This month, The Last of Us finally creeps into its second season like a fungal zombie. It should be obvious that the end-time series based on a video game will be quite dark. Just how close we are to the narrative abyss was recently confirmed by showrunner Craig Mazin in a revealing interview, in which he also made clear announcements about the further continuation of the acclaimed HBO format.
The Last of Us Season 2 is supposed to be as dark as the Star Wars sequel The Empire Strikes Back
Not only the fact that the 2nd season of The Last of Us was shot in wintry Alberta reminds the head writer of the ice planet Hoth and the Star Wars sequel The Empire Strikes Back, as Mazin revealed in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter. The new season is indeed set to take on an even more dramatic tone, for which the Star Wars sequel is notorious. Season 1 was comparatively a walk in the park for Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal), but this time “they get away with nothing”.
The Darth Vader father revelation, Han Solo in carbonite – there’s a lot going on in the second part of the Star Wars saga. And anyone familiar with the video game The Last of Us Part II* already suspects that the second season of the series adaptation will be every bit as good. Mazin continues:
I think about this a lot because I love Empire Strikes Back and I think everyone should. We love the movie because the second act is the hardest. It’s when everything is tested and the characters have moments where they can’t be who they used to be, but at the same time they’re not ready to be who they’re supposed to be. You feel lost. And I love that.
In season 2, five years will have passed in which Ellie and Joel have lived in and out of the Jackson commune. Of course, this also has to do with the big lie that Joel told his surrogate daughter at the end of season one. At the same time, new characters (such as Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever) are introduced, each with their own agenda in the post-apocalypse.
The series version of The Last of Us has a clear goal in mind
In addition, Craig Mazin was clear about the future of the series: “I won’t go beyond the game [The Last of Us Part II]. I’m saying that categorically.” Currently, game developer and series co-creator Neil Druckmann is not planning a Part III that could be adapted. So the series will end without a special chapter after the second part is implemented – presumably on the same note as the original.
The only question that arises with regard to the length of the multi-award-winning HBO series is: Will it take two or three seasons to implement the second video game? The answer to this question is deliberately left open.
When does The Last of Us season 2 start?
In Germany, the second season of The Last of Us starts on April 14, 2025 on Sky and WOW. Seven episodes await you weekly in the second chapter of the series.
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