The Last of Us season 2: HBO releases new images of Joel and Ellie

By Dan Girolamo May 15, 2024 9:29AM

Joel stares at someone in The Last of Us season 2. — HBO

Joel and Ellie are back in the first look at The Last of Us season 2. HBO released new images featuring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey during Tuesday’s Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront presentation. The second season will premiere in 2025 on HBO and Max.

Based on Naughty Dog’s beloved video games for PlayStation, The Last of Us stars Pascal as Joel, a jaded survivor of a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection. Ramsey plays Ellie, a 14-year-old girl who may hold the key to finding a cure. Joel is hired to smuggle Ellie out of a quarantine zone. “What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey,” the official logline reads, “as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.”

Also reprising their roles from the first season for The Last of Us season 2 are Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Joel’s brother, and Rutina Wesley as Maria, Tommy’s wife and co-leader of the survivors in Jackson, Wyoming. The biggest addition to the season 2 cast is Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, who will play a pivotal role in the upcoming episodes. Other actors joining for season 2 include Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, and Danny Ramirez as Manny. Catherine O’Hara will guest star as well.

Ellie holds a gun in The Last of Us. — HBO

The Last of Us is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, the latter of whom co-created the video game. Executive producers include Carolyn Strauss, Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O’Connor, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Evan Wells. The series is ia co-production with Sony Pictures Television. Season 1 followed The Last of Us video game, while season 2 depicts the events in the sequel game, The Last of Us Part II.

The Last of Us season 1 was a smash hit for HBO, becoming the network’s most-watched debut season of a series ever. Season 1 garnered 24 Emmy nominations, including acting nods for Pascal and Ramsey.

Stream all episodes of The Last of Us season 1 on Max.

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Ellie and Joel look sweetly at each other in The Last of Us.

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The first season remained stellar throughout its nine episodes, delivering compelling, thought-provoking, and thematically rich narratives that strengthened the source material's already extensive lore. Each episode in The Last of Us was a brilliant display of artistry, with top-notch writing, directing, acting, and production values. However, some episodes stood out more than others, whether because of their insightful storytelling, striking visuals, powerful performances, or a combination of all these crucial elements.