The Last of Us S2 gets HBO’s best director

One of HBO’s hottest directors just signed on for Season 2 of acclaimed video game adaptation The Last of Us.

HBO has ramped up production on The Last of Us’ second season in recent months. Pre-production is already almost done, and filming is slated to kick off in February 2024.

What’s more, the show’s most high-profile vacant role – controversial character Abigail “Abby” Anderson – is no longer empty. No One Will Save You’s Kaitlyn Dever landed the part in January 2024.

And now, HBO has added four new directors to The Last of Us roster for Season 2 – including its most heavyweight helmer.

The Last of Us Season 2 gets HBO’s best Succession director

Per Deadline, Succession’s Mark Mylod is among The Last of Us Season 2’s quartet of new directors. The English director is a big get for the series, given his recent run of form.

Mark Mylod (‘Succession’) will direct episodes of ‘THE LAST OF US’ Season 2.

Nina Lopez-Corrado (‘Perry Mason’), Stephen Williams (‘Watchmen’), Kate Herron (‘Loki’) & Peter Hoar (‘TLOU Episode 3’) will also direct episodes.

(Source: Deadline) pic.twitter.com/BRxAFkScvT

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) January 25, 2024

Mylod won three Primetime Emmy Awards for Succession (one for directing and two for producing). He also garnered considerable acclaim for his work on other HBO shows, including Game of Thrones, Entourage, and Shameless.

The Last of Us Season 2’s big new hire also has four big screen credits to his name. Of these, the most notable are 2002’s Ali G Indahouse and 2022’s The Menu.

Mylod’s fellow The Last of Us newcomers include Nina Lopez-Corrado, Stephen Williams, and Kate Herron. Lopez-Corrado and Williams are best known for HBO’s Perry Mason and Watchmen, respectively, whereas Herron’s CV includes Sex Education and Loki.

In terms of returning personnel, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann will also direct some installments of Season 2. Fellow Season 1 veteran Peter Hoar is back on board as well. Hoar’s continued involvement will no doubt please fans, as he called the shots on Season 1 tearjerker “Long, Long, Time.”

Is a Bill and Frank Last of Us spinoff happening?

While part of that episode’s appeal was its standalone narrative, star Nick Offerman recently revealed he’s keen for it to launch a spinoff focused on its lead couple, Bill (Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett).

Offerman added that he’d be happy for a Bill-and-Frank-centric project to take a different approach, quipping that he’d even sign on for a musical. “We’re not short on ideas,” he joked.

However, HBO’s priority for now is seemingly The Last of Us Season 2, and there’s no indication that any spinoffs are in the works.