The Last of Us was undoubtedly a runaway success, not only was it one of the most streamed programmes in recent years, but it also seems to have broken the curse of video game adaptions performing poorly.
Naturally with such success, audiences are hungry for more, and last we heard from star Bella Ramsey, it seemed Season 2 was well on its way and was “likely” to premiere in 2024.
However, recent comments from HBO drama head Francesca Orsi suggest a substantial delay, due to the Writer’s strike that has made Hollywood grind to a halt.
“We were looking at The Last of Us for some time in 2025. And The White Lotus was ideally looking to go in 2024, but there’s some question about timing of the strike. While everything at this moment is pencils down, I’m hopeful that we can come to terms sooner than later. Otherwise, we will have to assess what is the end of the ’24 schedule, what are the shows that are going to be delivered for 2025. At this point, those shows that I’m looking to air wouldn’t necessarily be ready if this strike lasts six to nine months. So yes, that’s a big question for us, but I think we’ll cross that road once we come to it.”
“There isn’t much that we can go into on The Last of Us, given that Craig [Mazin] can’t really initiate in any meaningful way from a writing or casting standpoint,” Orsi continues. “But he and Neil [Druckmann] have a good sense of what it is that he’s going to be taking on. We’ll be moving the show from Calgary to Vancouver. All I can say is he’s taking a big swing from both an entertainment standpoint, related to the Clickers, but also just the more nuanced, complex character dynamic between our characters, Joel, Ellie and beyond”
Whilst this is no doubt disheartening to series fans, it’s important to note that nothing is set in stone. We do not know how long this writer’s strike will last, so it is still possible Season 2 will enter production long before 2025.
Unfortunately, this is a wait and see situation, but we do pledge our support to the Writer’s Guild of America, and hope that a resolution is reached sooner rather than later.
