Don't worry, The Last of Us Season 2 still expected to devastate us in 2025

There's something growing in the darkness like a fungus, and thankfully, it's The Last of Us Season 2. Giving a network with the acclaim of The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, and Game of Thrones (well, the first few seasons), an IP as big as Naughty Dog's The Last of Us was a gamble, but ultimately, one that worked.

Across nine episodes of heartbreak, horror, and mushroom monsters, Chernobyl director Craig Mazin brought this apocalyptic nightmare to life to give the critically beloved 2013 game the justice it deserved. The Last of Us Part II was a pretty big clue we'd get another season, but where is The Last of Us Season 2?

Could The Last of Us Season 2 release in 2025?

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We're used to waiting between seasons, and for those of you who remember Thrones and The Walking Dead giving us cliffhanger endings, it could be a lot worse when it comes to The Last of Us. Still, we're dying to know when The Last of Us Season 2 could land and whether it's still on track for a potential 2025 release. 

Hollywood has ground to a halt, with the Writers Guild of America (WAG) and Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG–AFTRA) strikes meaning most won't be crossing the picket lines for the foreseeable future. We already knew The Last of Us Season 2 was on hold, so what's next?

Speaking to Deadline about where things are up to, Mazin gave a positive update that The Last of Us Season 2 could still hit 2025. "We had a little more flexibility I think than normal just because we had to wait a little bit longer anyway to line up production with the weather," said Mazin.

Saying The Last of Us Season 2 hasn't been "immediately impacted," Mazin added, "But we're getting pretty close; wе can't keep our original start dates forever obviously." He admitted, "If these strikes go much longer we inevitably will have to push and that hurts us, and it hurts the audience, and it hurts HBO."

Will there be The Last of Us Season 3?

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If a quick resolution isn't reached, The Last of Us Season 2 will be one of the many shows and movies hit with a crunch. Does anyone remember the WAG strike from 2007-2008? Looking further ahead, we know there are plans for at least some of The Last of Us Part II to be saved for a third season of the show.

Speaking of Season 3, Mazin confirmed, "It's going to be more than one season. There's more story, so this show will not end with Season 2 unless people don't watch it and we'll get canceled...Barring that, we will be doing some things exactly the way they were in the game."

As for whether it'll be taking some liberties like Season 1's beloved Bill and Frank episode, Mazin concluded, "We're going to do other things that are in the game and we're gonna do some things that are in the game but we're gonna do them differently in our own method."

Promising "interesting twisted and turns" even for those who've played the games, The Last of Us continues to be one of the most exciting shows around. Whether it'll be three and done remains to be seen but with swirling rumours of The Last of Us Part III, Mazin and co. could soon have more source material to adapt.