The wait is almost over for new episodes of “The Last of Us.”
Season 2 of “The Last of Us” premieres on Sunday, April 13, at 9 p.m. ET. The post-apocalyptic series will take the coveted timeslot from “The White Lotus,” which comes to an end on Sunday, April 6.
It’s been over two years since fans have seen Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in action, and some viewers might forget where “The Last of Us” season 1 finale left off.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for season 1 of “The Last of Us.”
We last saw Joel rescuing Ellie from the militia group The Fireflies after learning of their plans to surgically remove her brain, killing her in the process. Ellie is immune to the fungal infection turning humans into zombie-like creatures, and the Fireflies hoped to use her brain to find a cure.
Joel didn’t tell Ellie the reason for their abrupt departure, as he knew she might give her life to help humanity.
Just as season 1 of “The Last of Us” is based on the 2013 video game of the same name, season 2 is based on the game’s sequel, “The Last of Us Part II.” However, the action from the second game was too much to fit into one season of television.
“The story material that we got from Part II of the game is way more than the story material that was in the first game, so part of what we had to do from the start was figure out how to tell that story across seasons,” the show’s cocreator Craig Mazin said during a June 2024 interview with Deadline.
READ MORE: Who’s in ‘The Last of Us’ season 2 cast? Meet the new and returning stars
Season 2 of “The Last of Us” will be seven episodes long, but Mazin thinks season 3 — which has yet to be officially confirmed — “will be significantly larger.”
“And indeed, the story may require Season 4,” he added.
In addition to Pascal and Ramsey, season 2 of “The Last of Us” stars Jeffrey Wright (Isaac), Kaitlyn Dever (Abby), Young Mazino (Jesse), Danny Ramirez (Manny), Ariela Barer (Mel), Tati Gabrielle (Nora), Spencer Lord (Owen), and Isabela Merced (Dina).
Season 1 of “The Last of Us” is available to stream on Max.
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