The critically acclaimed drama series, from co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann is Sky Atlantic’s second-biggest US drama debut, behind only the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon.
It stars Pedro Pascal as the protagonist Joel Miller in a post-apocalyptic United States, forced to survive in a world overtaken by zombies thanks to the cordyceps fungus.
The show has been a rare instance of success for a videogame transferring to the screens, being based on the 2013 action-adventure game from Naughty Dog.
Credit: HBO
And for those new to the series, who would like a recap of episode one, click here.
The Last Of Us also stars Anna Torv as Miller’s sort-of girlfriend Tess, and Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie – a young girl who Miller and Tess have to transport.
Speaking of the announcement of the HBO adaption being renewed for a second series for television, executive producer Druckmann said: “I’m humbled, honoured, and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey. The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast and crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations.”
“Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog & PlayStation, thank you!”
Mazin, meanwhile, added: “I’m so grateful to Neil Druckmann and HBO for our partnership, and I’m even more grateful to the millions of people who have joined us on this journey.”
Credit: HBO
“The audience has given us the chance to continue, and as a fan of the characters and world Neil and Naughty Dog created, I couldn’t be more ready to dive back in.”
The pair’s warm words will also be hiding something of a relief, having recently expressed in an interview with entertainment magazine Collider that they’d need more than just the one series to fully tell the story of the game’s adaption.
“I write to endings,” Mazin has previously said. “Endings are everything to me. I don’t know how to write, if I don’t know how it ends… The amount of remaining story would take us more than a season to tell.”
Thankfully, for both fans and co-creators alike, the ability to tell the story of Miller and Co. that bit more has now come a stage closer, with confirmation of a second series.
