Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us and its HBO live-action adaptation finale.
Fans of The Last of Us franchise have been enjoying the game for years, but recently we had a new surge of followers for the IP. Thanks to the immense success of the HBO live-action adaptation series, viewers got a chance to sit in and watch the epic narrative unfold on a weekly basis. Just yesterday, we had the stunning conclusion of the first season, which took players through the final moments of The Last of Us video game. So now fans are looking to see just where the next season will take viewers.
Recently, GQ spoke with Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann about the adaptation and its season finale. Clearly, there is a massive fan base for this franchise, both those who enjoyed the video games and viewers who were completely new to the IP. The finale followed along with the same beats as the video game, which saw Joel go into beast mode as he took down countless guards to reach and save Ellie. It’s a thrilling, action-packed sequence, and it sets us up for the next season. When the final moments came, and the screen faded to black, viewers were now forced into waiting on the next season.
Of course, you could get a headstart with the series, as we do have The Last of Us Part II available for players to enjoy. That will help showcase some of the following season. But it might not be a completely identical story for HBO. According to Craig Mazin, they are already aware of what they are doing for the next season. Likewise, viewers who enjoyed the game will find that there are some areas identical, along with sections being expanded or flipped. So it should be a show well worth watching to see how the story plays out compared to the video game adaptation.
There are going to be things that are going to be different, and there are things that are going to be identical. There are things that are going to be added and enriched. There are some things that are going to be flipped. Our goal remains exactly what it was for the first season, which is to deliver a show that makes fans happy. We’ve got an incredible returning cast. It’s a daunting task. But Jesus, so was the first season. You can’t make everyone happy. But we’ve made a lot of people happy and that’s our intention to do it again.
Craig Mazin – GQ
Although, one area that we do know regarding the next season is that this upcoming season won’t feature the entire storyline of The Last of Us Part II. The game is too big, and it’s going to take more than one season, according to Neil Druckmann. Unfortunately, we don’t know just how many seasons it might take, as the series creators are not unveiling anything more than that.