Work on The Last of Us will resume “after the end of the second strike,” showrunner says
Work on The Last of Us Season 2 could begin imminently, according to an update from co-showrunner Craig Mazin, as the WGA strike nears its end.
The film and television industry faced major disruption in the summer of 2023 as strikes by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA caused production to halt on numerous projects. But recent news suggesting that the WGA is close to a long-awaited deal offers a glimmer of hope that work can soon resume on projects like the second season of HBO’s adaptation of “The Last of Us.”
Work on Season 2 of The Last of Us begins with the end of the second writers’ strike
In the wake of reports that the Writers’ Guild of America close to reaching an agreement This would bring the long writers’ strike to an end. The Last of Us co-showrunner Craig Mazin revealed that work is expected to resume “the second” the strike ends.
In a post on Threads, Mazin said: “Very proud of the WGA and its members and looking forward to working again on the second season of The Last of Us. The strike has not been officially lifted yet, but as soon as it is, we will jump into action!”
However, Mazin later had to clarify his post as some interpreted it to mean that filming was about to begin. As the SAF-AFTRA actors’ strike is still ongoing, Mazin confirmed that his post was related to writing duties.
“The word ‘action’ in my last post seems to have been misinterpreted as ‘filming,'” he wrote. “We will continue writing! I hope there will be an update soon on when filming will begin.”
- SEARCH FOR THE LIGHT: The breathtaking The Last of Us book “Endure & Survive” is launching on Kickstarter
The Last of Us fans react to the news
Unsurprisingly, fans of The Last of Us series were extremely excited about the update, with many responding to Mazin on the social media site to express their thoughts and support.
One fan on Threads commented: “SO EXCITED about this.”
While another added: “Best news this morning!!”
“I am pleased with the encouraging news and will be very excited to see a fair deal officially negotiated,” said this fan. “Thank you and everyone else who stood firm and supported these strikes.”
This fan excitedly wrote: “I can’t wait! I’ll keep an eye out for casting calls!!”
And finally, another commenter said: “Great news! I love the game and the first season was shockingly good.”
Season 2 will not be the end
Since Season 1 of The Last of Us completely covered the events of the first game, many would think that Season 2 would follow suit and wrap up the story of The Last of Us Part II in just one season.
However, this doesn’t take into account the fact that The Last of Us Part II is a much larger game than the first part, with a story roughly twice as long as the first installment, with the playthrough potentially taking up to 30 hours or more more than 15 hours for the original.
That’s why Craig Mazin, writer and co-showrunner of The Last of Us series, said the HBO adaptation could run for up to four seasons to give him and Neil Druckmann a chance to tell the story properly.
“You never know. It could end up being three or five. But four seems like a good number,” Mazin said an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “Some seasons require fewer episodes and others require more because of the story we are telling. The best news is that audiences want more.”
That would mean that The Last of Us Part II could take a whopping three seasons to fully cover, and since the game tells the story from the perspective of Ellie and new character Abby, that makes perfect sense.
- READ MORE: The Last of Us fans were convinced that actress Abby was cast after following her on Instagram
Season 1 of The Last of Us is available to stream on Max in the USA and now In the United Kingdom after broadcast in early 2023.
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