The Last of Us season 2 on HBO could get 'radically' different from the game

The first season of The Last of Us recently wrapped up on HBO in what The Guardian called "a brutal, sadistic triumph of television." I guess that's good, right? The whole series was met with acclaim from critics and viewers alike, and to absolutely nobody's surprise a second season was announced in January.

Some fans of The Last of Us games weren't entirely thrilled with the show, however, particularly the way the narrative sometimes varied from the games. An episode that explored the relationship between supporting characters Bill and Frank, for instance—something the game never did—was widely hailed for its portrayal of their "whole, beautiful, devastating love story," as Out described it, but also resulted in an ugly review-bombing campaign on IMDB.com.

Speaking during an online press conference ahead of the debut of the season one finale (via EW.com), showrunner Craig Mazin said that reaction won't change their approach to the second season, which will sometimes deviate from the game just as the first season did.

"[Season two] will be different just as this season was different [from the first game]," Mazin said. "Sometimes it will be different radically, and sometimes it will be [barely] different at all. But it's going to be different and it will be its own thing. It won't be exactly like the game. It will be the show that Neil and I want to make."

Mazin also said that "we are making it with Bella," a reference to questions about whether Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie, would return for the second season. The Last of Us 2 takes place five years after The Last of Us, leading to speculation that the character might be recast with an older actor.

"When we made the game, I felt we were incredibly lucky," showrunner and Last of Us videogame creative director Neil Druckmann said. "It was like lightning in the bottle that we found Ashley Johnson and I can't imagine that version of Ellie being anybody else. And then somehow we got lightning in the bottle again with Bella.

"The only way we would ever, ever consider re-casting Bella is if she said, 'I don't want to work with you guys anymore.' And even then, we're not sure we would grant her that. We might still force her to come back to season 2."

The Last of Us Part 1 is set to come to PC on March 28, on Steam and the Epic Games Store. You'll need an RTX 2070 Super to hit 1080p 60 fps at high settings, but you can dial it back a bit if you need to—here are the full system requirements.