HBO basically rules out 2024 release for The Last of Us season 2 with latest update

The Last of Us season 2 is gearing up for production early next year, but the bigger news is that HBO has seemed to rule out a 2024 release for the show.

Nothing says “Merry Christmas” like HBO giving us a plethora of very anticipated updates today.

During Thursday’s press event, as reported by Variety, HBO’s Casey Bloys announced that The Last of Us season 2 will be entering production status in early 2024 – confirming that there were delays due to the rightful WGA and ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes.

Okay, so if you’re like me, you’ve not only played the games (probably multiple times) but were also glued to your TV screen when

Daddy

Pedro Pascal’s Joel and Bella Ramsey’s Ellie gave us enough emotional damage to last a lifetime during the first season. That ending… phew. And now, news of season 2? Someone pinch me because this feels like a dream.

The script for season 2 has already been written and outlined, and the showrunners are ready to pull the trigger as soon and they’re given the OK to do so. Again – with the ongoing strike, hopefully, this new production calendar will be solid and not pushed back any further.

The Last of Us season 2 likely isn’t coming in 2024

The good news is that season 2 will begin production in early 2024, the bad news is that with filming not beginning until 2024 HBO has basically confirmed the show will not be coming back in 2024.

While HBO did not outright confirm the show is being held for 2024, it was notably missing from the network’s 2024 slate presentation, meaning it’s expected that the earliest it will arrive will be in 2025.

We all fell in love with Pascal and Ramsey’s portrayals of the iconic characters from the video game giant. As with any adaptation, some things were tweaked around for convenience (video games are not easy to adapt, as we all know) and budgeting reasons, and with the upcoming season two not going over the entirety of the second game, we can only guess how it will be adapted for season 2.

The story, much heavier than the first game’s, is deeply emotional and turbulent and requires certain characters to be appropriately cast and portrayed. But, if the first season is any inclination, we should have absolutely nothing to worry about.

With news of season 2 starting to get the ball rolling soon, if you haven’t watched the first season yet, what are you waiting for? Also, if you haven’t played the two amazing games that make up this heart-wrenching tale, you should. Just keep tissues near.