'The Last of Us' Creator Makes Bold Season 2 Comparison
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, The Last Of Us show co-creator Craig Mazin revealed how season 2 raises the bar for the series, even going as far as to make a lofty comparison.
In the interview, Mazin compared season 2 of The Last Of Us to The Empire Strikes Back, the second installment in the Star Wars franchise.
“I think about that a lot—because I love The Empire Strikes Back, and I think everybody should,” Mazin says. “We love that one because the second act is the tough act. That’s when everything is challenged and characters go through these moments where they can’t be who they used to be, but they’re also not ready to be who they’re supposed to be. There’s a sense of feeling lost. And I love that.”
The HBO drama, which is based on the acclaimed PlayStation game of the same name, follows Joel (Pedro Pascal), a smuggler tasked with escorting immune teenager Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across a post-apocalyptic United States, which is in the midst of a fungal zombie pandemic that causes the collapse of society.
During the interview, Mazin acknowledged what he learned from the first season of The Last Of Us that he applied to the second.
“Making a first season of television, especially one of that size, is like building a plane in the air. We learned how to improve our process, which means basically more efficiency,” Mazin continued. “Combined with more money from HBO, we could do a lot more. We certainly got much better at portraying the Infected.”
Compared to the first season, the scope of season 2 of The Last Of Us has expanded, if the trailers are anything to go by. Mazin added that he’s excited for audiences to meet this season’s new characters.
“Watching Joel and Ellie is special in this season, but our community of Ellie and Dina [newcomer to the show Isabela Merced] is special,” Mazin added. “Ellie and Jesse [newcomer to the show Young Mazino] have this remarkable friendship.
Season 2 of The Last of Us is set to premiere on HBO on April 13, 2025.