The Last of Us Season 2 is almost here, and the showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann are assuring fans that they have plenty of surprises in store. Season 1 of the show expanded certain elements of the story and switched things around to make it more palatable for television. Season 2 will be no different.
While we know some of the story of The Last of Us Part 2 will be used, the game’s playtime is at a minimum of 25 hours–double that of the first game–so there’s a lot of story to spread out. Talking to ScreenRant, Mazin said he’s confident with the changes made and lots of swerves to surprise even the hardcore fans.
“There are things where we think, ‘We love this, but it’s worth expanding on or changing to fit the new medium,’ and there are things that we think actually wouldn’t translate well,” he said. “I think you probably should expect the unexpected. We won’t always do the things you think we’re going to do. Sometimes we do the things you thought we were going to do in a different way, at a different time.”
The showrunner had previously said that to expand the story, they’re making drastic changes to the game’s original timeline in a way that works better for television.
“We certainly are going to mess around with time the way it was in the source material…we messed around in ways that we felt were appropriate for the show,” Mazin said. “When I say ‘messed around,’ I mean scientifically determined in a narrative way what we thought would be most impactful.”
Mazin added by asking fans for their trust and that they wouldn’t be disappointed with the changes. “By the time we get to the end of the season, I think you’ll be happy,” he said.
HBO’s The Last of Us became a colossal hit, earning 24 Emmy nominations and taking home eight. The success of the show was felt immediately, even having star Pedro Pascal twerk with Clickers on Saturday Night Live commercials.
The Last of Us Season 2 premieres on Max on April 13.
