The Last of Us season 2's unsettling first trailer is here, and I'm not ready to have my heart broken all over again
"What. Did. You. Do?"
· TechRadarNews By Tom Power published 27 September 2024
The Last of Us season 2's first trailer has been released online – and, judging by the footage contained within, I'm convinced it's going to be as emotionally devastating as its videogame counterpart.
Released yesterday (September 26) as part of 2024's The Last of Us Day celebrations, the two-minute long teaser is packed with unsettling, atmospheric, and drama-filled moments. It also gives us our first official looks at the new characters – including those introduced in The Last of Us Part II, the multi-award winning Naughty Dog game that this season is based on – who'll appear in season 2, as well as scenes directly pulled from the post-apocalyptic action videogame.
The Last of Us Season 2 | The Last of Us Day Official Teaser | Max - YouTube
HBO didn't just release season 2's first trailer on The Last of Us Day, aka the day in the games when the Cordyceps virus destroyed civilization as we know it. In a press release, the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned studio also confirmed that the critically-acclaimed Max show would debut on its primary streaming platform sometime in 2025. This is the first time that HBO has revealed when one of the best Max shows will return, although HBO chief Casey Bloys suggested it'll air in the "first half" of 2025 when quizzed on season 2's launch in mid-September.
Rounding out this year's festivities was the unveiling of a season 2 story brief. Indeed, as part of the same press blast, HBO provided some insight into where The Last of Us TV show's next chapter will pick up after the first season's final episode. "After five years of peace following the events of the first season," it reads, "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."
The Last of Us' second season doesn't have a release window in the UK or Australia yet, nor do we know where it'll be available to watch. But, with the hit series launching on Sky and Now TV in the UK, plus Binge in Australia, I'd be very surprised if season 2 isn't released on these services around the time it debuts on Max and HBO in the US.
Who are the new characters we see in The Last of Us season 2 teaser?
Aside from Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna, and Rutina Wesley – who'll reprise their season 1 roles of Joel, Ellie, Tommy, and Maria next time out – every character we see in season 2's first-look teaser will be new to anyone who hasn't played the second game in Naughty Dog's acclaimed videogame series.
So, who's who in The Last of Us season 2's first footage? The biggest reveal is that of Abby, The Last of Us Part II's deuteragonist and the individual responsible for that soul-crushing moment in the aforementioned game. Don't worry, I won't spoil what happens for anyone who hasn't played the franchise's latest title – what I will say is that, for anyone who has, or anyone who's been told about it, it's going to be absolutely heartbreaking to see it brought to life in HBO's live-action adaptation. Anyway, HBO confirmed that No One Will Save You's Kaitlyn Dever had been cast as Abby in January.
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