It’s been over a year since The Last of Us released on HBO. The showrunners are shooting the second season, but many more seasons could be in store.
HBO already indicated that the story of The Last of Us Part 2 could be split into more than just a single season. However, the latest interviews with the series showrunners, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, suggest it could even stretch across three seasons.
“The story material that we got from Part II of the game is way more than the story material that was in the first game, so part of what we had to do from the start was figure out how to tell that story across seasons,” Mazin told Deadline on June 5. When it comes to planning the future seasons, the showrunners are looking at “natural breakpoints” that could wrap up seasons. That’s how they already know how many episodes the second one will contain.
“When you do that, you look for natural breakpoints, and as we laid it out, this season, the national breakpoint felt like it came after seven episodes,” Mazin said.
With that in mind, the showrunner pointed out it’s difficult to fit the whole story of The Last of Us Part 2 in two seasons, which was the original goal. “We don’t think that we’re going to be able to tell the story even within two seasons [two and three] because we’re taking our time and go down interesting pathways which we did a little bit in Season one too…. Season three will be significantly larger. And indeed, the story may require Season four,” Mazin said.
Those who have played the game should understand Mazin and Druckmann’s points of view. A lot happens in the story, and the last thing fans want is to see everything rushed in a few episodes. Series like Game of Thrones took this approach, leaving fans unsatisfied and wanting more.
There are tons to unpack in The Last of Us Part 2. Without going into heavy spoilers, this includes a major event from the beginning of the game, new characters, and many other subplots that could be expanded upon in the show if given enough time.
Either way, fans are in for a blast if we receive three more seasons from part two alone. And, looking at recent teases for The Last of Us Part 3, the show could be here to stay for years.
