Built to Last
A second season of HBO’s adaptation of The Last Of Us has been confirmed
By the time you read this, there will be just one more episode of season one to go, but there’s no need to be sad – the Last Of Us TV show became so popular so quickly, a new season was officially announced before the third episode had even been broadcast. Just how popular is it? The series enjoys over 20 million viewers in the US alone.
In terms of audience size, The Last Of Us is second only to House Of The Dragon on HBO (the American channel which developed those shows). It’s outperforming heavy hitters such as Euphoria and The White Lotus. These figures take into account both the original broadcasts and people catching up on the HBO Max streaming service. And there are, of course, millions more people watching around the world. No wonder the studio’s keen to keep the momentum going.
Details of the second season are a closely guarded secret, but are there any clues to what we can expect? Well, it’s already been made clear that season one will cover the entirety of the first game, so season two will be adapting The Last of Us Part II from the beginning. Co-showrunner Craig Mazin has described this game to IGN as having “more than a season’s worth of television, that’s for sure”. So, at least three seasons altogether? Maybe, but Neil Druckmann has also been quoted in the Hollywood Reporter as saying, “We have no plans to tell any stories beyond adapting the games”. However long it takes to tell the second game’s story for television… that, it seems, will be it.
DOWN TO ABBY
There’s a theory – unconfirmed, but intriguing – that the role of Abby Anderson has already been cast. The actress in question is Shannon Berry who, if you’ve caught her in her role as Dot in The Wilds, you will know bears a strong resemblance to Abby’s character model, and, like Abby, she’s in her early 20s. Interestingly, although she’s not a household name, Berry is followed on Instagram by Neil Druckmann. She follows him back… and she also follows Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, and the official The Last Of Us account. Not exactly conclusive proof, but more than enough to get the rumour mill running. Do you think they picked Berry?
The Last Of Us airs in the UK on Sky Atlantic, and through Now TV.