It’s becoming increasingly rare for those who create TV shows to bring viewers a series that hits all the right notes for millions. But, The Last of Us did just that early this year. The HBO horror drama is based on the video game of the same name, but managed to pull in numerous fans who had never even taken a turn leading Joel and Ellie through an infected wasteland while gaming. That action-packed and morally suspect finale definitely left everyone wanting more, which begs the question of just how much of the upcoming The Last of Us Season 2 was finished before the WGA strike began, and we now have some idea.
What Was Completed On The Last Of Us Season 2 Before The Writer’s Strike?
Showrunner Craig Mazan told the LA Times recently that he was only able to complete one script and turn it in, along with passing along the information needed to key personnel so they could begin scouting. He also confirmed that he’s been keeping track of what he wants to do for the second season in his head, which I certainly hope is way easier for him than it is for a writer like me. If I don’t have scraps of paper and notebooks filled with charts, graphs, and copious bullet points, I’m out of luck, because 90% of my ideas go bye-bye as soon as I’m distracted.
About the WGA and SAG-AFTRA (which began striking in mid-July) strikes, Mazan continued:
I’m in rarefied air in terms of my career and my economic position, and this is not a strike for me…It’s for the rank and file of the union, for the 95% of the union that cannot survive the way the business is currently structured. I just hope the [Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which they’re striking against] stop this soon. As a whole, I think the writers and actors are rather at peace with the decision, because we’re right and they’re wrong. And I think they know it, and I think they’re struggling to accept it. But they will, and it will end. We’re waiting for them to snap out of their insanity.
What’s Coming In The Last Of Us Season 2?
This was one video game adaptation that defied the odds, landing on HBO as an audience and critical success that kept people talking well past when its nine-episode run was over in mid-March. While the show was actually renewed in late January (two weeks after its blockbuster premiere), that still didn’t give the creative team much time to finish writing Season 2 before the writer’s strike began in early May.
As could be expected, however, Mazin is already putting a lot of thought into all areas of the production and how things will be mapped out once they can resume active work on The Last of Us. He also noted that the role of Abby, who’s very important to the second video game in the series and will also be a big part of the television show in the second season, has already been cast, and spoke out about fan hopes for more scenes with the infected.
The writer (who’s gotten an Emmy nomination for his work on the series) says that viewers will continue to see the fungus-bearing creatures “be more like the shark in Jaws than the white noise you stop noticing,” and I think that most fans will take anything they can get once the show is finally able to return after what will likely be a longer than expected hiatus.
