The Final of Us
Photograph: HBO
“I’m your cool, slutty daddy,” The Final of Us star Pedro Pascal famously stated on the pink carpet for HBO’s newest blockbuster collection, primarily based on the post-apocalyptic online game. Weeks later, the community renewed The Final of Us for a second season. Is there a correlation between Pascal thirst and a renewal? Perhaps so! After a harrowing finale in March 2023, HBO is sort of a hungry zombie wanting extra, extra, extra! The present’s co-creators, Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann (co-president of Naughty Canine, the video-game growth firm behind TLOU), lastly shared a full trailer that includes Joel (Pascal) and Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) televisual fates for the second season of The Final of Us, reminding us that it’s in truth a present about scary monsters and even scarier individuals. Because it’s been a minute because the first season, we compiled all the pieces we do know in regards to the upcoming season, from the discharge date to the most recent solid members, and also you received’t even need to threaten us with a switchblade to get the information.
Pedro Pascal saying “I’m your cool, slutty daddy” pic.twitter.com/sCUfYzFUMp
— Vulture (@vulture) January 17, 2023
The season-two trailer exhibits off Ellie’s new look: eyebrows with a slit, a tattoo, and a few arm sweet. She’s dancing with one other gal within the saloon, look how a lot she’s grown up! Nonetheless, cute, coming of age milestones shortly come to an finish as we’re reminded of the scary clickers that lurk outdoors of the partitions. “By the point the solar comes up tomorrow, there’s an excellent likelihood you’ll be lifeless,” Jeffrey Wright, who’ll be reprising his position as Isaac Dixon, growls to a tortured prisoner. For gamers of the sport, there’s a guitar motif that ought to transfer not less than just a few individuals to tears instantly. For everyone else, prepare: A brand new season is coming — if you’re not screaming in horror, you’ll be holding again tears. That’s how this present goes.
The latest casting additions got here on March 5, 2025, and it included the beloved clock twink of The Gilded Age fame, a.okay.a. Ben Ahlers, per Selection. HBO loves clock twink <3. He’ll be taking part in Burton, one of many three characters not within the recreation. He’s in firm with Hettienne Park (Hannibal), taking part in Elise Park, and Alanna Ubach (Legally Blonde), taking part in Hanrahan.
Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos) is taking part in weed farmer Eugene, whose position shall be considerably elevated. Speaking about Eugene, Druckmann informed Selection on March 5 that “the best way this character is available in actually will get to the guts of Joel and Ellie and their relationship.” Additionally introduced in from the video games are Wyoming bar proprietor Seth, who shall be performed by Robert John Burke (Gossip Woman), and Ellie’s ex Kat, who shall be performed by Noah Lamanna (Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds).
Kaitlyn Dever of Booksmart fame joins the collection as considered one of a number of distinguished new characters, Deadline reported on January 9, 2024. She’s taking part in Abby, a fundamental character from the second TLOU recreation, a soldier looking for vengeance on those that harmed her family members. On the subject of Dever’s casting, although she is much less muscular than the Abby within the recreation, Druckmann informed Selection that “Kaitlyn Dever wished to work with us; we wished to work along with her. It’s not value passing it as much as proceed a search that may by no means bear fruit to seek out somebody that matches the physicality.”
On January 10, Selection confirmed Younger Mazino of Beef and SZA music-video fame will play Jesse, “a pillar of his group who places everybody else’s wants earlier than his personal, generally at horrible value.” “Younger is a type of uncommon actors who is instantly simple the second you see him,” the co-creators stated. They’re speaking about his face card.
One other spherical of casting bulletins dropped on March 1, 2024. Per Selection, Prime Gun’s Danny Ramirez shall be taking over one other navy position and star as Manny, a loyal soldier whose “sunny outlook belies the ache of outdated wounds and a worry that he’ll fail his mates after they want him most.” Ariela Barer will play a younger physician named Mel whose dedication to saving lives is challenged by “the realities of battle and tribalism,” Tati Gabrielle will play a navy medic named Nora scuffling with previous “sins,” and Spencer Lord will play a “mild soul” named Owen who’s “trapped in a warrior’s physique, condemned to combat an enemy he refuses to hate.” Really, none of those characters can catch a break.
Sure and no. The Final of Us: Half II is an much more expansive recreation than the primary, so the story of the second recreation shall be cut up over a number of seasons. What number of? There’s no strategy to know. When pressed on what number of seasons the sport adaptation will take, Mazin and Druckmann went chilly. “You could have famous appropriately that we’ll not say what number of,” Mazin informed GQ. “However multiple is factually appropriate.” The second recreation (SPOILER ALERT) largely takes place 4 years after the unique recreation, which provides fairly a little bit of leeway if Mazin and Druckmann wish to construct that story out. Plus followers of the sport know one thing seismic occurs comparatively early on within the second recreation’s plot — the sort of factor that seems like a season ender, relatively than a season opener. At this level, it looks as if the one factor we all know is what we don’t know.
From a hen’s-eye view, Mazin and Druckmann appear fairly pleased with the primary season of the present and able to give one other installment alongside those self same traces. “Our objective stays precisely what it was for the primary season, which is to ship a present that makes followers blissful,” Mazin stated to GQ. Nonetheless, the creators acknowledged some issues season two might do to enhance on the primary. The most important has to don’t with plot however with setting. Some, together with Stephen King, have famous that Joel and Ellie’s cross-country street journey doesn’t actually really feel … cross-country at occasions. That’s partially attributable to the truth that your entire first season was filmed in Canada. “My objective is to do higher subsequent season, now that we’ve discovered some classes,” Mazin stated in a press convention, in keeping with TV Line. “Once in a while [in season one] you get a bit of little bit of an ‘Oh, it’s Canada,’ after we don’t need it to be Canada.”
Oh, you’re so impatient. Gamers of the sport had been pressured to attend seven full years between the primary and second installments to study the fates of Joel and Ellie, however TV watchers received’t have to attend wherever close to that lengthy. Max has dropped character posters and a launch date. The Final of Us season 2 begins April 13, which suggests the present will be eligible for extra Emmy nominations. Our guitar-string-calloused fingers are crossed.
Each path has a value.#TheLastOfUs returns April 13 on Max. pic.twitter.com/KRccalszIq
— Max (@StreamOnMax) February 19, 2025
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