The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin says that he submitted the script for the first episode of the second season hours before the WGA strike began. The hit postapocalyptic HBO show based on the video game of the same name stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie, respectively. Ellie is immune to a mass fungal infection that has transformed many people and other animals into zombie-like creatures; Joel is a smuggler who accepts the task of getting her across a ruined United States.

The acclaimed series premiered in January 2023 on HBO and became a cultural phenomenon, earning praise from critics and 24 Emmy nominations. Pascal, already a household name thanks to The Mandalorian, became an even bigger star on The Last of Us because his character is not required to hide his face underneath a helmet. HBO renewed The Last of Us the same month it premiered, but the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes have halted most — but not all — work on season two.

What Is Lined Up for The Last of Us Season Two

Although the Hollywood strikes will delay the second season of The Last of Us, HBO has a plan. Mazin tells Entertainment Weekly, “We were able to map out all of season two. I think it's becoming essentially a near certainty that we won't be able to start [filming] when we were hoping to start, which is upsetting. We are all raring to go. This is what we are born to do. This is how we not only choose to live our lives, but I believe [how we] are compelled to live our lives.”

Mazin works with The Last of Us game creator Neil Druckmann on the series. Mazin says, “Neil and I are both mappers and outliners and planners. We believe in endings; we believe in knowing where you're going. We know where we're going. We also give ourselves space inside of the basic route to wander and discover and invent.

“There is this thing that happens sometimes where people will create mysteries that are tantalizing, infuriating — which we love — and then later just never pay them off, which is cheating,” continues Mazin. “So, when we have any kind of confusing, mysterious, or shocking story element, it's purposeful and it will be understood.”

All nine episodes of The Last of Us season one are available on HBO and Max.