‘The Last of Us’ showrunner hints there’s at least a three-season plan

The Last of Us is now two episodes in, and any worries fans had about the show not capturing the mood of the game have evaporated. After a premiere spent establishing the world and stakes, the second episode delivered on the meat of the game: a tense journey through a ruined city with the ever-present fear of attacks from the infected.

The show is already a bona fide hit for HBO, with the premiere its second biggest in the last decade (after House of the Dragon), and those audience figures not dropping off the week after. At this point, we should be confident more seasons are on the way, especially as the critically acclaimed but controversial sequel The Last of Us Part II is just itching to be adapted for the screen.

When that day comes, showrunner Craig Mazin hinted to The Playlist that it’s going to take more than a season to tell the story.

“We pretty much cover the first game in this first season. The remaining material is quite a bit more involved and rather extensive in comparison to the first game. There’s really no way to tell the story of the second game in one season. And when you look at how we adapted The Last of Us in this season, you can already see where it’s not just the story that’s there, sometimes it’s these other stories we want to tell. We really want the freedom to do it right. The one thing I insist on is never boring people and never putting out filler episodes. They’ve got to stand on their own and be compelling – always! But I think that as we continue, the rest of it can’t be told in just one season.”

Without spoilers, The Last of Us Part II tells a much more ambitious story, splitting its narrative between two characters, set in a wide range of environments, and taking place over a longer period of time.

One wrinkle is that there’s a time jump of five years between the first and second games meaning characters have aged, so HBO may have to wait for the actors to look the part. It’s possible that we could get previously unseen stories set during that five-year gap or, perhaps more excitingly, by the time we’re in 2027 or 2028 there’s a chance we could have The Last of Us Part III on consoles that’ll wrap up the franchise for good, meaning we could eventually see five or six seasons of the show.

The future is looking bright for The Last of Us fans (though sadly not for most of the characters) and we’re fully sold on whatever Mazin and Neil Druckmann decide to put on screen,

The Last of Us airs Sundays on HBO.