The Last of Us renewed for a second season
HBO confirmed on Friday that The Last of Us would return for a second season. The nine-episode first season of the show centres on the first game in the legendary PlayStation exclusive video game series from developers Naughty Dog.
News of the renewal came rather quickly than expected as only two episodes have been broadcast. HBO reported that episode 1 had amassed more than 22 million domestic viewers since its 15 January premier and that episode 2 had 5.7 million viewers last Sunday. The upcoming episode will air later tonight.
The show's executive producer and Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann tweeted after the announcement that the second season will be based on The Last of Us: Part 2 game, much as the first season was based on the original The Last of Us game.
"I'm humbled, honoured, and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie's journey," said Druckmann.
He further stated, "The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast and crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations. Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with Season 2! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog and PlayStation, thank you."
Years after a fungal brain infection turns the majority of the world's population into savage cannibals, the show follows grumpy smuggler Joel (Pedro Pascal) and his upbeat teen companion Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they journey across a ruined US.