The apocalypse will return to HBO soon, as the first teaser trailer for the second season of The Last of Us has finally dropped. Set to premiere next year, the new season will have more of the same heart-pounding action, emotional depth, and gut-wrenching drama that made the first season a critical darling.
The two-minute trailer, released as part of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Day celebrations (marking the day the Cordyceps virus ravaged civilization in the game’s lore), offers an intriguing glimpse into what’s to come. The teaser opens with a surprisingly calm scene of Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) in what appears to be a therapy session with a new character played by Catherine O’Hara.
O’Hara’s character encourages Joel to confront his past, saying, “Let’s try something different. You can’t heal something unless you’re brave enough to say it out loud.” While the trailer begins with a moment of respite, it quickly ramps up the tension. We see glimpses of Abby fleeing from clickers across a snowy plain, Ellie being pursued by a horde of zombies in a subway system, and a massive group of infected forcing down a fence.
Season 2 will introduce several new characters from The Last of Us Part II game, including:
- Abby (played by Kaitlyn Dever), a key figure whose role in the story is bound to be controversial and impactful (fans of the game know what we’re talking about).
- Dina (played by Isabela Merced), Ellie’s love interest.
- Jesse (played by Young Mazino), one of Ellie’s close friends and a patrol leader in Jackson.
- Isaac (played by Jeffrey Wright): a new addition to the cast who serves as the secondary antagonist in The Last of Us Part II.
Other newcomers include Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, and Danny Ramirez as Manny. Fans will also be pleased to see returning characters like Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey), Tommy (played by Gabriel Luna), and Maria (played by Rutina Wesley).
HBO’s story brief for the new season teases, “After five years of peace following the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie’s collective past catches up to them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.”
This suggests that Season 2 will delve deeper into the complex relationship between Joel and Ellie while expanding the scope of their post-apocalyptic world. We may have seen how dark and deadly the remnants of humanity have become in the first season, but that was only a peek into a much bigger picture.
The Last of Us Season 2 will premiere on HBO in 2025.
