"The Last of Us" Season 2 Gets 2025 Release Window

After this year's successful debut of "The Last of Us", audiences are eager to find out what will happen next in the journey of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey).

According to Deadline, it might be a while before the characters return, as HBO Drama Chief Francesca Orsi stated during an interview that the second season of the video game adaptation is projected to be released in 2025.

She also warned that the current Writers Guild Association strike could delay the debut of the series even further, but that would only occur if the conflict about the fight for better wages went on for many months.

The new season of "The Last of Us" hasn't begun filming yet, as the episodes are still being written.

Due to the current WGA strike, pre-production on the season has been halted. However, even if the strike went on for a couple of months, the release window is still wide enough to fit the series in 2025.

As with other major HBO productions, filming and editing tend to take plenty of time, as around eight hours of content has to be prepared for the release of the episodes.

The first season's finale left the characters at a very tense point in their relationship, setting the stage for what's to come.

In the acclaimed HBO series, Joel lived a normal life while raising his daughter, Sarah (Nico Parker). Everything would change when the Cordyceps virus began, turning innocent people into hungry walkers. 

The initial evacuation provoked by the pandemic ended up in the death of Sarah, leaving Joel completely devastated. 

Years later, he was given a mission to transport Ellie across the country, since her blood could be the answer to developing a cure for the virus. The pair would bond throughout the journey, giving Joel a new reason to live.

It was difficult for Joel and Ellie to develop a friendship at first, due to the dangerous circumstances they found themselves in. 

There is not a lot of time for talking as they watch out for walkers all the time, added to other non-infected people who are hidden inside the abandoned cities. But after spending so much time together, they earned how to trust each other. 

The finale of "The Last of Us" sees Joel lied to Ellie about why they had to leave the hospital and it's only a matter of time before she finds out. It remains to be seen if they can talk their way through the situation or if their friendship will be over.