HBO’s The Last of Us returns for its second season on April 13, and ahead of that, showrunner Craig Mazin has said Season 2 is the show’s “Empire Strikes Back” season, suggesting a dark turn for the story akin to the second Star Wars movie. He said in an interview that sequels are challenging in part because the characters are tested in new ways.
In the first season, main characters Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) went through many hardships but endured and largely succeeded in their endeavors. They may not be so fortunate in Season 2. In Season 2, “They aren’t getting away with shit,” Mazin said of Joel and Ellie in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“I love The Empire Strikes Back, and I think everybody should,” Mazin said. “We love that one because the second act is the tough act. That’s when everything is challenged and characters go through these moments where they can’t be who they used to be, but they’re also not ready to be who they’re supposed to be. There’s a sense of feeling lost. And I love that.”
Season 2 picks up five years after the events of Season 1, with Joel and Ellie’s relationship strained and frayed from the dramatic Season 1 conclusion. More high drama is expected in Season 2, as the show adapts some of the events of The Last of Us: Part II and brings in new characters, including Abby (Kaitlyn Dever).
Also in the interview, Mazin doubled down on his commitment that The Last of Us TV series will not tell stories beyond the events of the game series. Naughty Dog reportedly has no plans for The Last of Us 3, leaving many to wonder if a potential Season 3 could be the last for the show.
“I am not going to go past the game. I’ll just say that flat out. So if people are thinking, ‘Oh, these guys are planning the old cash grab thing…,'” Mazin said.
“For me, the only question is: Is it going to be one more season or will it require two more? If this can happen all in one more season, great. If we feel like it makes sense to break it into two, then we will do that,” Mazin said of potential third and fourth seasons of The Last of Us to tell the total story of The Last of Us: Part II. Before this, HBO management said The Last of Us could end after Season 4.
Keep checking back with GameSpot for more on The Last of Us Season 2.
