Good news, zombie fans: The Last of Us season 2 is heading our way in 2025. This basically means that it won't be long until we reunite with Pedro Pascal's Joel and Bella Ramsey's Ellie in one of the best shows on HBO Max right now.
It's been nearly two whole years since we saw the duo, and given the time jump that's set to take place in the new installment – as those who've played The Last of Us video games know – there's a ton for us to unpack and look forward too. We've already seen a full teaser, have casting confirmations, and even have a new release window update to dig into.
So, for everything you need to know about The Last of Us season 2, read on. Also, just a heads up, we'll be keeping game spoilers for The Last of Us Part 2 to a minimum, so don't worry about scrolling ahead.
The Last of Us Season 2 release date speculation
While The Last of Us season 2 release date hasn't been fully confirmed just yet, we now know that it will arrive sometime in Spring 2025.
During an interview with IGN, HBO and Max Content CEO and Chairman Casey Bloys announced the new spring update. This also lines up with Max's 'The One to Watch' trailer, which was released a few months ago. It also revealed that TLOU season 2 is set to hit streaming in 2025.
This was then reconfirmed earlier in 2024 via an announcement revealing first-look images from the upcoming season. So, needless to say, 2025 is pretty much set in stone and we should be getting a release date shortly. Stay tuned for updates!
The Last of Us season 2 trailer
The full trailer for The Last of Us season 2 is here, released as part of The Last of Us Day. It begins with Catherine O'Hara's mysterious character starting a timer as she starts to address Pedro Pascal's Joel.
"Well, do you want to start or what," she says. "Let's try something different, you can't heal something unless you're brave enough to say it out loud. Say the thing you're afraid to say. Say it out loud no matter what it is, no matter how bad. What did you do?"
Other shots see Joel and Ellie in Jackson, where they bond over the guitar, paralleled later with the Ellie and Dina scene in the guitar shop. There are also plenty of infected in the trailer, too; from a lone clicker stalking Ellie to a horde of thousands of them running in the snow.
We also get our best look yet at Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever, in what seems to be a flashback shot. That's not all, either, as there are shots of the Seraphites, too, including a character who seems to be Lev, with "Feel her love" written on the wall. The trailer ends with Ellie screaming and Joel crying. If you know, you know... Check it out above.
This is the second trailer we've had for the show, as there was also an earlier teaser released during Max's 2024 and 2025 slate preview. It saw O'Hara's character ask Joel, "Did you hurt her?" before he replies, "No".
We see a close-up of Ellie's tattoo as she continues, "Then what did you do?" The trailer then cuts to Ellie screaming, and we get the first look at new characters Dina, the Seraphites, Isaac Dixon, and Abby. "I saved her," Joel says as a tear falls down his cheek. Goosebumps.
The Last of Us season 2 cast
We're going to do our best to skip over major The Last of Us: Part 2 spoilers here, but suffice it to say that The Last of Us season 2 will feature a host of new characters. We also know that Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are definitely returning as Joel and Ellie.
During a press conference attended by Total Film, co-creator Mazin says of Ellie's transformation post-time skip: "We know what we're going to do in terms of costume and makeup and hair, but more importantly, we also know the soul and spirit of the actor… It will be the show that Neil and I wanna make, and we are making it with Bella. The only way we would ever, ever consider recasting Bella is if they said, 'I don't wanna work with you guys anymore.'"
Bella Ramsey has already gone on record stating that they are excited for "the Ellie and Dina story" – a budding relationship between the two Jackson residents. They also told 12DOVE they were looking forward to working with the other "excellent" newcomers jumping on board.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Ramsey explained that they are keen to explore "the complexity of her relationship with Joel" and how that gets decidedly more complex. "I'm looking forward to that, and the violence that ensues is thrilling in a way," Ramsey said.
There are loads of new cast members joining the show as well. Check out who's been announced so far below.
- Pedro Pascal - Joel
- Bella Ramsey - Ellie
- Kaitlyn Dever - Abby Anderson
- Young Mazino - Jesse
- Isabela Merced - Dina
- Danny Ramirez - Manny
- Ariela Barer - Mel
- Tati Gabrielle - Nora Harris
- Spencer Lord - Owen Moore
- Jeffrey Wright - Isaac
- Catherine O’Hara - TBC
Who is playing Abby in The Last of Us season 2?
Kaitlyn Dever has been officially confirmed as Abby Anderson in The Last of Us. Known for her roles in Rosaline, Booksmart, Unforgiveable, and No One Will Save You, the actor had been rumored for a while. Now it's official though!
Druckmann reacted to the news on Twitter, writing: "Welcome to the TLoU fam, @KaitlynDever! Stoked to collaborate with you again!" He wasn't alone either as the game actor Laura Bailey also replied to the news. "Huge congrats, Kaitlyn! So excited to see Abby’s evolution in your performance! Let me know if you want a workout buddy."
Dina actor Isabela Merced (more on her below) told the Happy Sad Confused podcast that Dever should be in awards consideration for her work on the upcoming season.
For more, check out why our writer thinks Dever is the perfect choice for Abby.
Who is playing Dina in The Last of Us season 2?
Isabela Merced is set to portray the role of Dina in The Last of Us season 2. She's described as "a free-wheeling spirit whose devotion to Ellie will be tested by the brutality of the world they inhabit." No spoilers here, but those familiar with the game will know she plays a big part in Ellie's life going forward.
Mecred is best known so far for Dora the Explorer in Dora and the Lost City of Gold, but she has some big projects on the horizon. She'll be in Alien: Romulus in 2024.
Creators Mazin and Druckmann said of her casting: "Dina is warm, brilliant, wild, funny, moral, dangerous and instantly lovable. You can search forever for an actor who effortlessly embodies all of those things, or you can find Isabela Merced right away. We couldn’t be prouder to have her join our family."
Who else is joining The Last of Us season 2?
Beef star Young Mazino has also been cast in the show, where he'll play Jesse. As HBO puts it, the character is "a pillar of his community who puts everyone else’s needs before his own, sometimes at terrible cost."
"Young is one of those rare actors who is immediately undeniable the moment you see him," co-creators Mazin and Druckmann said in a joint statement of his casting. "We’re so lucky to have him, and we can’t wait for the audience to see Young shine in our show."
Excitingly actor Jeffrey Wright is officially reprising his role as Isaac for The Last of Us season 2. In the video game sequel, Wright plays secondary antagonist Isaac Dixon, a former marine turned leader of the Washington Liberation Front (WLF). Wright will now return as the character for season 2 of HBO's adaptation.
In terms of the other characters, Captain America: Brave New World actor Danny Ramirez will play Manny, Runaways star Ariela Barer will play Mel, Uncharted star Tati Gabrielle is Nora, and Riverdale's Spencer Lord is Owen.
The Last of Us season 1 recap and ending explained
As 12DOVE explained in its The Last of Us Episode 9 review, the HBO show "signs off with a finale that is equal parts crushing and cathartic." If you're in need of a little reminder as to how the show wrapped, you'll want to read our The Last of Us season 1 ending explained, which recaps the events of the show, details the Fireflies' plan, explores how Ellie is immune to the Cordyceps infection, and sets up what's next for the duo.
Oh, and if you're wondering how closely the original ending aligns with that seen in the show, here are the biggest changes between The Last of Us episode 9 and The Last of Us: Part 1's finale.
The Last of Us season 2 plot details
Should The Last of Us season 2 follow the same trajectory as season 1 – loosely following the contours of the video game it is based on to bring shape to the pacing and story of the show – then you will want to begin mentally preparing yourself for a far darker story.
In the trailer, we see what appears to be the first four-ish chapters of The Last of Us Part 2 – though it mostly seems like scenes from chapter one. But of course, it's a TV adaptation, and it's not going to follow the game exactly – which is why we also see Isaac (Jeffrey Wright) and Lev in the trailer, even though they don't appear until the second half of the game, around Chapter 5.
The concept of the game is that the player controls both Ellie and Abby in two separate narrative arcs. It's hard to tell whether the seven-episode second season will stay mostly in Ellie's perspective (the first half of the game) or dip into the first chapter or two of Abby's arc. If Isaac and Lev are already being introduced, then we think it might be the latter.
As we noted in our The Last of Us 2 review, the video game very much deals with the cyclical nature of hatred and revenge – to say anything else would wade into spoiler territory, although we do have a The Last of Us 2 ending explained article, should you be unable to manage the wait for season 2 to start.
Will The Last of Us season 2 follow the same story as the game?
It looks exceedingly likely that The Last of Us season 2 won't cover the entirety of The Last of Us Part 2. In fact, the show's co-creators – Mazin and Druckmann – have already signalled that the events of Part 2 will require multiple seasons to properly bring the ambitious storyline of the second game to life. As for how many seasons The Last of Us will need to tell the next part of Joel and Ellie's adventure, well, that remains to be seen. Although Mazin has teased that "four seems like a good number".
From what we've seen in the trailer, it looks like it will get about halfway through, as there are some shots of Jeffrey Wright's Isaac Dixon, an Abby Anderson flashback, and someone who seems to be Lev.
Will The Last of Us season 2 include a time skip?
In The Last of Us: Part 2 video game, there is a five-year time skip. We shift from the climactic conclusion of The Last of Us: Part 1 to find an older Joel and Ellie settled into life in Jackson, Wyoming.
In a global press conference attended by Total Film, co-creator Mazin stated: "We're being very careful about how we talk about part two, but The Last of Us Part 2 takes place multiple years after the story of the original game. We'll be looking to directly adapt Part 2." So you should expect the show to feature the time skip, even if other parts of the story are "radically" different from the game.
Want to get caught up on the show ahead of season 2? Here's how to watch The Last of Us TV show online for less. We also have a list of all the new TV shows heading our way if you are after more fresh titles.
