The Last of Us Season 2 won’t be released in 2024

HBO just officially confirmed that Season 2 of acclaimed video game adaptation The Last of Us won’t hit the small screen in 2024.

The Last of Us Season 1 premiered on HBO on January 15. This initial batch of episodes proved wildly successful, notching up strong reviews and even stronger ratings for the network.

When Season 1’s finale aired on March 12, it wrapped up protagonists Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) journey in Naughty Dog’s first The Last of Us game. Fans are now eager to see how the show’s co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann adapt The Last of Us Part II.

They’ll have to wait longer than hoped, however, as HBO recently announced that The Last of Us’ second season won’t arrive within the next year.

The Last of Us Season 2 won’t be released in 2024

HBO formally revealed The Last of Us Season 2’s release window in its new “The One to Watch” promo video. And the bad news? It won’t drop until 2025.

While this will no doubt disappoint the Last of Us fanbase, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. After all, principal photography on Season 2 doesn’t kick off until early 2024. As such, the odds of it being ready in time for a 2024 debut were always slim.

What’s more, The Last of Us Season 2’s cast isn’t complete yet, either. At least one major role still remains vacant: Abigail “Abby” Anderson. The online rumor mill’s current frontrunner to play Abby is No One Will Save You’s Kaitlyn Dever, however, fans should consider this pure speculation for now.

The Last of Us co-creator anticipates reaction to Season 2

Regardless of who ultimately lands the part, Abby will likely follow her video game counterpart’s lead as The Last of Us Season 2’s most polarizing character. Druckmann seemingly alluded to this in a recent interview, noting that he expects the second season to elicit “the gamut of emotional responses.”

In the same interview, Druckmann – who also co-directed the original games – shut down the possibility of new characters crossing over from the show to The Last of Us Part II Remastered. “There’s no intention to add them to No Return [mode], which is built around a roster of characters from Part II,” he explained.

For the latest Last of Us news and updates, check out Dexerto’s full coverage here.