HBO currently has no pitches for The Last Of Us spin-offs and co-showrunner Craig Mazin isn’t keen on expanding the series past the games either.
The Last Of Us season 2 is almost upon us. We’re only just two weeks away from returning to Jackson, Wyoming and reuniting with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey).
Naturally, the team behind the show are on an extensive press tour and The Hollywood Reporter recently sat down with co-showrunner Craig Mazin to chat about the show. The talk quickly turned to the future as THR enquired what happens after the story of The Last Of Us Part II has been told.
Neil Druckmann, Mazin’s co-showrunner and the creator of the original videogames, recently said that The Last Of Us Part III is unlikely to happen, but would the show continue even without directly referencing any source material?
“I am not going to go past the game. I’ll just say that flat out,” Mazin said, explaining that the production wasn’t going to “do the cash grab thing”. THR suggested it wouldn’t be classified as a cash-grab if Druckmann had a story in mind for the third game.
“The show is so hard to make. It has to have an end,” the Chernobyl creator mused, before adding that someone else might go on to do something else. “But for me, the only question is: Is it going to be one more season or will it require two more? If this can happen all in one more season, great. If we feel like it makes sense to break it into two, then we will do that.”
Druckmann and Mazin have confirmed that they believe the second game will require at least two seasons to cover. Season 2, which will premiere on 14th April in the UK, will consist of seven episodes in total, but it’s not currently clear how much of the game it covers or how it’s structured.
Fans of The Last Of Us Part II know the game’s story isn’t quite as straightforwardly told as the first. The game and the second season of the TV adaptation will introduce us to a new antagonist, Abby, who is played by Kaitlyn Dever in the series. We’ll also meet new characters such as Isabela Merced’s Dina and Young Mazino’s Jesse, while Jeffrey Wright will reprise his role as Isaac from the game.
Even when Mazin and Druckmann finish telling the second game’s story, HBO is unlikely to let their profitable series simply end. Perhaps there are spin-offs in development? Mazin denies this, saying HBO are “very respectful” in that regard. Time will tell, though.
The Last Of Us season 2 premieres on 14th April on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
