Although several episodes of the first season of The Last of Us have yet to be released, HBO has already renewed it for a second season. Which means we'll once again see Bella Ramsey as Ellie and Pedro Pascal as Joel trying to survive a post-apocalyptic world, while battling fireflies and FEDRA, as well as all the other dangers out there.

“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. The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast & crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations. Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog & PlayStation, thank you!", Neil Druckmann said. 

The final episode is scheduled for release on March 12 at 9 PM on all of the production company's platforms. Many viewers have labeled the third episode, titled Long Long Time, as one of the best made in television history and the series has earned the distinction of being the most successful series to date.

What will the second season be about?

The official plot has not yet been revealed but the creators have spoken about the future of the show and what they intend to do with the story. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the creators have hinted that the new episodes will cover much of the events of the game's sequel, so we will have new characters, such as Abby.

Craig Mazin confirmed that "the first season covers the events of the first game" and in reference to the second, he assured "I think the amount of story we have left to cover would be more than one season of television. So, assuming we can go ahead, the idea would be to do more than one more season. But this is not the kind of series that is going to be seven seasons".

What has been confirmed is that the second season will not cover the entire second video game and that we will see some new things. So it will not be 100 percent faithful to Naughty Dog's sequel.

"I think we know where we're going in this case. I don't mean that in a sarcastic way, I mean that in an optimistic way. There will be some things that will be different and some things that will be identical [to the game]. Some are going to contribute and enrich, others will be changed. The goal is exactly the same as the first season, to deliver a series that makes the fans happy", Druckmann y Mazin said.

Who is the cast of the second season?

So far, the only two confirmed to return for the second season are Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, who will continue to play the duo of Ellie and Joel. The 19-year-old actress was one of the first to post on her social networks about the long-awaited news. 

In the first season we saw how Gabriel Luna played Tommy Miller, the brother of one of the main characters. While Merle Dandridge gave life to the leader of the fireflies, Marlene. It is not yet known if they have already confirmed their presence in the next episodes but it is expected that during the next few months it will be revealed who will continue in the series.

When could the second season be released?

It is not yet known exactly when the new episodes will arrive, but it could take months. Bella Ramsey said she believes they will start filming it during 2024, so it will likely premiere in 2025. Mazin and Druckmann did not confirm anything at this time, but they did make reference to how much new material could be coming out.

Both assured in an interview that "The amount of story that's left, that we haven't covered, would be more than a season of television. So yes, assuming we can go ahead, the idea would be to do more than just one more season". Deadline confirmed that the new episodes will be filmed in Vancouver, Canada.