Season one was just the start.
HBO's The Last of Us delivered a roller coaster of emotions in its first season. Whether it was Bella Ramsey's breakout performance as Ellie, Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett's moving portrayals of Bill and Frank, Pedro Pascal's controversial actions in the March 12 season finale and the grisly deaths of fan favorite characters, viewers were always kept on the edge of their seats.
But as anybody who has played the video games on which the series is based can tell you: You ain't seen nothin' yet.
A second season of the buzzy post-apocalypse drama was confirmed by HBO in January after only two episodes of the series had aired.
"I'm humbled, honored, and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie's journey," executive producer Neil Druckmann said in a statement at the time. "The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast and crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations. Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two!"
So, what can viewers expect from season two?
Read on, if you dare.
While the first season of the series mostly tackled the events from the 2013 video game, the second season will dive into its 2020 sequel The Last of Us Part II. However, the new episodes won't fully cover its storyline.
The Last of Us co-creator Neil Druckmann—who also directed both video games—told GQ UK March 13, "It's more than one season."
As for how many seasons Druckmann and co-creator Craig Mazin might be talking, they ultimately remained coy.
"You have noted correctly that we will not say how many," Mazin said. "But more than one is factually correct."
Long story short: Kinda.
"Some of the stuff I'm most excited for [in season two] are the changes we've discussed and seeing the story come to life again in this other version," Druckmann told GQ UK. "And I think it's exciting because it leans into those feelings you had from the game, really heavily, in a new way."
However, don't expect things to change too drastically.
But don't expect things to change too drastically, as Mazin explained, "These things are always tiny. ‘Should she say this word or this word?' All the subtleties are where [Druckmann] and I invest a lot of our effort and attention, because that's where we find beauty."
The events of The Last of Us Part II take place five years after the events of Part I, which played out in season one. So, it reasons to ask: Will Bella Ramsey be re-cast?
"One of the things about the casting process that's tough is that we invite people to join us on this process, and we know everything and nobody else knows anything except what they know, which is the game," Mazin told Entertainment Weekly March 12. "We know what we're gonna do in terms of costume and makeup and hair, but more importantly, we also know the spirit and soul of the actor."
To put it more succinctly: Don't expect a new Ellie in season two.
"The only way we would ever, ever consider re-casting Bella is if she said, 'I don't want to work with you guys anymore,'" Druckmann added. "And even then, we're not sure we would grant her that. We might still force her to come back to season two."
Some viewers were critical of season one's lack of violence and horror, especially given the source material—which Mazin acknowledged to Variety on March 12.
"There may be less action than some people wanted because we couldn't necessarily find significance for quite a bit of it, or [there was] concern that it would be repetitive," he contended. "After all, you're not playing it, you're watching it. Although a lot of people do like to watch gameplay, it needs to be a little more focused and purposeful when we're putting it on TV."
However, Mazin said season two will have "a lot more infected," a.k.a. the humans who have been turned into blood-thirsty savages due to the Cordyceps fungal infection.
Time to invest in a night light.
When asked if season two might start filming in 2023, Pedro Pascal—who will return as Joel in the second season—told Collider in February, "Yes, there is a chance. Yes."
Regardless, it's still going to be a while.
In the meantime, season one of The Last of Us is available to stream on HBO Max.