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‘Will there be furor? Yeah, probably’: ‘The Last of Us’ showrunner already expecting season 2 backlash

Fans of the HBO show are in for a ride when season two drops.

The Last of us episode 8 joel and ellie
Image via HBO Max

We already knew that HBO’s The Last of Us was top-tier television, so we’re glad the Emmys agree. Yesterday, the video game adaptation notched up the second-highest number of nominations (after Succession), with nods for Outstanding Drama Series, and Best Lead Actor and Lead Actress.

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So, when’s season 2 coming? The Last of Us Part II was a monster hit on PlayStation in 2020, expanding and continuing the story in bold new directions. Some of these choices made fans very unhappy, but showrunner Craig Mazin won’t pull any punches bringing it to the screen, as he promised In an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

“There are things that will shock people, things that were in the game, things that were not in the game, and that’s okay. As long as they’re purposeful, they’re not there to just simply shock. We are not interested in creating social media fear. We just want to tell the story the way we think it should be told. Will there be furor? Yeah, probably.”

We won’t get into the exact details of what made everyone so angry, save to say that we can foresee the same furious reaction from the show’s fans if they go the same route as the game.

Production on season 2 is currently on hold due to the writers’ strike, though we’re hoping it’ll premiere at some point in 2025. Beyond that, there are indications that Naughty Dog have begun work on The Last of Us Part III. That may be the conclusion of the overall story, but given everything that’s happened we wouldn’t bet on a happy ending as the credits roll.

Before all that comes the Emmys, and while The Last of Us is up against some very stiff competition in all categories, we’re hoping it’ll walk away with some well-deserved gold.