But it’s not all fungal and games.
The first episode of the second season of The Last of Us has been written.
Showrunner and series co-creator Craig Mazin confirmed work on the second season of the Emmy-nominated adaptation had begun, although production was halted due to the ongoing writers strike.
Please note, some points below could be considered spoilers for The Last of Us (both TV series and games).
“We know what the whole season is, and I was actually able to get a write and submit the first episode right before the deadline hit,” Mazin told Deadline.
“So now I’m just walking around kind of brain-writing, I guess, which I don’t think is scabbing. I take walks and I think through the scenes because when the bell rings and this is over because the companies have finally come to their senses, I’m going to have to basically shoot myself out of a cannon because we really want to try and get this show on the air when it’s supposed to be on the air.”
In addition, Mazin stated that The Last of Us Part 2 writer Halley Gross has joined the team for the show’s second season.
“Neil and I had been sitting and talking with Halley Gross, who also worked on the second game as a writer, and Bo Shim, the new writer that was in our little tiny room with us, – obviously not a mini room because we’re greenlit the proper, we’re a real show, and because I hate that mini room stuff,” Mazin told the publication.
While the showrunner is still hopeful the second season of The Last of Us will make its original 2025 release, he said the strikes could mean the studio has to push its timeframe back.
“That hurts us, and it hurts the audience, and it hurts HBO,” Mazin said.
“We all, everybody wants to get back to work; I think everybody that’s actually doing the work, including the network people who are with us on the ground, I think everybody just wants to get this solved. So fingers crossed,” he continued.
As for what season two will entail, Mazin affirmed it will not cover all of the events from the second game. “There’s more story, so this show will not end with Season two unless people don’t watch it and we’ll get cancelled,” he said.
The team will still remain faithful to its source material, with Mazin saying certain aspects will be “exactly the way they were in the game”. However, and as with season one, the team will also use its own creative ideas to develop upon Naughty Dog’s story.
“We’re going to do other things that are in the game and we’re gonna do some things that are in the game but we’re gonna do them differently in our own method. No matter if you have played the game or not. You will be surprised as the season unfolds. We have some interesting twists and turns.”
Additionally, Mazin has not ruled out characters from season one returning for season two, even if their fate in the first season was rather final.
“There’s always a chance for everything,” he stated.”With us you never know, and we obviously don’t confine ourselves by timelines. People who are dead sometimes reappear and sometimes we meet people that we didn’t even know and then we find out that they are somebody.” (This made me think of that “Dina” Easter egg the showrunners neither confirmed or denied).
However, Mazin has ruled out another Bill and Frank episode, saying the team doesn’t want to “milk” it.
“When we do something that we think is beautiful, we let it be as it is and find other beautiful things to do,” Mazin said.
Meanwhile, and as previously reported, season two of The Last of Us will have more infected than the first season, with Deadline suggesting “viewers who flocked to the series with no affinity for horror or video games, may have to close their eyes a few more times next season”.
Mazin added “there will be moments, just like there were in the first season, where the infected are very present.”
As for The Last of Us games, last week composer Gustavo Santaolalla suggested that a new version of Part 2 is on the horizon.
In addition, The Last of Us Part 3 rumours began making rounds again earlier this month, with reports suggesting “major filming” for the series’ next instalment could begin as soon as this year.
