Kaitlyn Dever Brings More Drama to The Last of Us

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey Last of us (Photo: Liana Hentcher: HBO)

HBO Last of us It’s a recent and encouraging trend that suggests video game television doesn’t have to be lousy to be true.

As a staggering viewership of nine episodes (cumulative audience of 30.4 million, according to The Hollywood Reporter) discovered, Last of us it was far from a lousy show. The post-apocalyptic series has found a middle ground between games and television. Much of the drama – not to mention much of the dialogue – was taken more or less verbatim from Naughty Dog’s acclaimed 2013 game and its DLC. Left behind. (This is “Downloadable Content” for non-gamers.) Episodes of varying lengths—the premiere being the longest, clocking in at 81 minutes—explored the Cordyceps-plagued world of the franchise with unexpected twists and expansions of lore not yet explored in the games. .

This dedication to the source meant that any deviations—any deviations at all—could result in fan outrage. And the changes made to Last of us, perhaps the most controversial video game ever made, certainly would have been had it not been handled with care. But the franchise adaptation was always in good hands: Craig Mazin developed Chernobyl for HBO, and Neil Druckmann is the president of Naughty Dog and TLOU co-author HBO TV channels under their supervision Last of us you have achieved amazing success.

Upcoming second season based on the controversial sequel The Last of Us Part 2, has a more difficult mountain to climb. With recent casting announcements to be dissected and the story of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) still hurting in our hearts, it’s time to put together everything we currently know about. Last of us Season 2.

(Minor spoilers for The Last of Us Part 2 video game further.)

When it will be Last of us Season 2 premiere?

HBO plans to release the second season in 2025, a date yet to be determined. And since moving forward from here without any idea of ​​when Joel and Ellie will return seems cruel, it’s worth noting that Craig Mazin told Variety that production will begin. 12th of February.

Where did the first season end?

Traveling across America isn’t much fun when it’s mostly on foot, a fact that Joel and Ellie would certainly attest to since they’re not busy hiding or shooting at clickers and the odd assortment of brutal raiders. V Last of us, the world is ravaged by a fungal plague that is 1) highly contagious and 2) turns anyone who contracts it into a fungal ghost that bites and makes clicking noises with its throat. (Hence the name.) America, rarely a country that can unite on anything, even under the best of circumstances, is fractured into facts. The two main ones are PHAEDRA, the last remnants of a paramilitary government, and the Fireflies, a group of renegades trying to find a cure for this worst of pandemics.

This is how Joel, a dark and cruel smuggler, hardened by the senseless loss of his daughter, meets Ellie. Ellie, it turns out he is immune. So Joel is tasked with taking her west to a hidden Firefly outpost, where doctors can turn Ellie’s immunity into a cure.

At first, this 14-year-old boy, armed with a switchblade, bad puns and profanity that could stun a sailor, gets on Joel’s nerves. Those who are familiar with the concept of drama can understand how long it will be before this brave young man melts the cold heart of this vile old man.

Last of us It is known—perhaps infamous—for its extreme plot developments and character decisions, an aspect of the franchise espoused by its television cousin. The first game and season one end on a bittersweet note with Joel rescuing Ellie from the Fireflies, who were preparing her for an operation that could save the world from the cordyceps virus, but would kill Ellie. Joel’s decision results in a staggering loss of life as he forges a path to save his unborn daughter. When Ellie comes to, Joel – apparently lying more to himself than to her – says that the cure is impossible and that the Fireflies freed them.

Ellie, wise beyond her years, knows that something is wrong with this story. So the season ends with her asking Joel to swear that his story is true. He does it without missing a beat, and she says, “Okay,” even though it’s clear that things won’t work out between Ellie and Joel, ever again.

Why The Last of Us Part 2 So controversial, anyway?

That’s a damn good question. Simply put, Last of us leaves Joel, Ellie and the people around them in a dangerous state, and its sequel follows this story taken to its dramatic extremes. If you haven’t played The Last of Us Part 2 and successfully avoided being spoiled at more important plot points, it’s better to continue to thrive in ignorance until 2025 – because when season two comes out, it’s going to hurt.

How many episodes in Last of us Season 2?

According to HowLongToBeat.com, 2013. Last of us it’s a 14.5 hour game (or roughly 23 hours for completionists). The first season was 8-3/4 hours long, swapping out the combat and crafting aspects of the game to explore supporting characters, most notably spending over an hour on Nick Offerman’s wily hero preparing for the apocalypse and a subplot introducing the villain , played by Melanie Lynskey. His follow-up season won’t have the luxury of expanding on such an economic narrative.

With an expanded roster of characters, more serious threats, and a broader American reach, The Last of Us Part 2 it’s a much larger game, lasting 24 hours (or 42-1/2 to make the most of all the available content). Mazin stated that due to the length and the way it tells two intertwining stories, it is likely that the second season will stretch into the third. Fans of the emotional devastation of the series should prepare themselves, and gamers who remember the grueling discussions surrounding the 2020 sequel should prepare for at least two more years of the same.

When Last of us Will there be a season 2?

While it’s not officially the case, it’s safe to say that season two will take place five years after the events of season one, just like The Last of Us Part 2. (Based on the series’ chronology, this means the show will premiere in 2028, or three years after its planned release date.) So Ellie is 19 or 20 years old, and Joel, 56 in the first season, is 61.

Where Last of us Season 2 set?

In the first season, Ellie and Joel meet Joel’s younger brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) in Jackson, Wyoming, a thriving community of survivors borrowed from The Last of Us Part 2. (In the first game, they met at a hydroelectric dam.) We see our Terrible Couple back in the city’s outposts by the end of the first season, so expect Jackson (recreated in Alberta, Canada, where the season was filmed) to be the starting point, from which will develop an extensive 2nd season.

It was reported that HBO would expand production from Alberta to British Columbia, which is located on top of Seattle, Washington, the series’ main location. The Last of Us Part 2. This game also involves traveling to Southern California, but to say why would spoil everything, so it’s best to leave it as is.

Who’s in the cast Last of us Season 2?

In keeping with the bloody tradition of HBO genre television, Last of us does not hide the murders of important characters. So naturally, the returning cast will be small, with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey reprising their roles as Joel and Ellie, albeit in older versions. Gabrielle Luna returns as Joel’s younger brother Tommy, and while there is no official confirmation of her return, Rutina Wesley (Queen Sugar) is expected to return as Maria, Jackson’s quasi-leader. (Come on: her character is pregnant and she’s married to Tommy!)

Ace TLOU may move around the timeline when dramatic reasons require it, but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that Tess, played by MindhunterAnna Torv could make a cameo in the flashbacks (she was important to Joel, after all). Just don’t expect to see much more from season one’s standout Bill, Offerman’s hot-tempered survivalist with a heart of gold; Mazin says Bill’s days are over.

No, season two is busy introducing a wider cast of characters. The Last of Us Part 2 to life. Young Mazino (Beef) will play Jesse, Jackson’s scout who “puts everyone else’s needs before his own, sometimes at terrible cost.” Jesse has a complicated history with Dina, a “free soul” played by singer Isabela Merced (Dora and the Lost City of Gold), whose growing romance with Ellie and past with Jesse should make for a suitably moody love triangle for the series. (Dina was the girl you saw sneaking an eye on Ellie from afar in “Jackson” in season 1.)

Other characters from The Last of Us Part 2 (co-created by Druckmann and writer Hallie Gross) will likely appear in the second season. There’s Lev (originally portrayed in motion capture by Ian Alexander, who expressed interest in reprising the role) and Yara (Victoria Grace), a pair of siblings. which consistently influence the plot of the game. Of course, talking about how and why is prohibited. And don’t forget about Manny (Alejandro Edda from Fear the Walking Dead) and Owen (Patrick Fugit), two allies in Abby’s orbit who bring some much-needed good humor to a pitch-black world Last of us. Further casting is just around the corner.

And most importantly, Kaitlyn Dever (No one will save you), who was once in contention for the role of Ellie before Ramsey landed the role, will co-star as the menacing Abby. (As it turns out, Dever is already a Naughty Dog veteran, having played Cassie Drake in Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.Producers are currently tight-lipped about the direction Abby will take, but diplomatically classify her as “a seasoned soldier whose black-and-white view of the world is challenged as she seeks revenge for those she loves.” Given Abby’s brutal fighting skills in the game, Dever is probably hitting the gym as we speak.

Should I play Last of us And The Last of Us Part 2?

Yes, with reservations. Last of us it’s an immersive experience that some say is richer than the first season, with more cathartic clicker action and quiet interludes in which Joel (Troy Baker) and Ellie (Ashley Johnson) learn a lot about each other through their actions and dialogue. If you enjoyed the first season and want to see more of these two tenacious scoundrels, then playing this game is highly recommended.

Part II in many ways it is a more frightening and brutal experience, just as rich, if not more dramatically complex. It’s a shocking, revealing game and, as noted earlier, quite long for a third-person adventure. If you’re ready to reveal all the secrets of the upcoming second season of the HBO series. Last of usnot to mention a potential third season, plus take heart: Naughty Dog has just released a remastered version of the game for PlayStation 5. Just don’t come to us crying when your heart breaks into a million pieces. .

Jarrod Jones is a freelance writer currently based in Chicago. He reads a lot (a lot) of comics and is somewhat of a jerk as a result.