The Last of Us showrunner says Season 2 will cause fan “furor”

The Last of Us 2 was a game that definitely divided fans, and now Season 2 of the HBO adaptation is also set to rile them up.

The Last of Us, one of the most acclaimed titles of the 2010s and a generation-defining game, was given the prestige, big-budget television treatment on HBO. Not only did HBO produce an incredible adaptation, but it’s already the top contender for the best show of 2023, setting a new prestige standard for video game movies and TV shows.

The story of Season 1 follows two people, Joel and Ellie, on a life-or-death cross-country trip across an America ravaged by a brutal fungal infection. But what’s in store for Season 2?

If you’ve played the game – or read our hub about Season 2 – you’ll know what’s going to happen, and you’re either hyped about or dreading what’s to come. And according to the show’s creators, Season 2 is likely to follow suit.

The Last of Us Season 2 HEADLINE

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin discussed the series’ recent Emmy nominations, and brought up that he was ready to rock the boat again for Season 2, even teasing that he expects fan “furor”:

“I’m never gonna say there are things that are gonna happen in the show that happened in the game. You never know what we’re gonna do,” Mazin explained about the upcoming season’s plot. “But I will say that it is the adventure, the journey is the point. There are things that will shock people, things that were in the game, things that were not in the game, and that’s okay. As long as they’re purposeful, they’re not there to just simply shock. We are not interested in creating social media fear. We just want to tell the story the way we think it should be told.”

When asked about casting, he pondered, “Will there be furor? Yeah, probably. I mean, there usually is, starting even with casting. We knew they were the exact right person to cast and they had to go through quite a few months of people being awful on social media until they saw what we saw. That, to me, is the point. We don’t operate to either make people happy on social media or avoid making them upset. We just do what we think is right, and we hope that people come along for the ride and enjoy it.” 

While The Last of Us had the second-best premiere on HBO in the past ten years, and was quickly picked up for a second season, production on Season 2 has come to somewhat of a standstill. Due to the recent WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, filming –  which was expected to begin later this year – will now remain on pause until a deal is made, as reported by Variety.

The Last of Us Season 1 is currently available to stream with Max.

Check out the rest of our The Last of Us Season 2 coverage here and our other TV hubs below:

Invincible Season 2 | The Boys Season 4 | Stranger Things Season 5 | Rick and Morty Season 7 | Virgin River Season 5 | And Just Like That Season 2 | Good Omens Season 2 | Heartstopper Season 2 | Reservation Dogs Season 3 | Twisted Metal