The Last of Us season 2 is the latest show to be affected by the WGA writers' strike. Casting on the second season of the hit HBO show has ground to a halt, says a new report from Variety.
According to the publication's sources, before casting stopped, the plan was for actors to read material from The Last of Us Part 2, since scripts have not been penned for season 2 just yet. Season 2 will adapt Part 2 – though not all of it, with showrunners Craig Mazin and Neill Druckmann confirming that more than one season will be needed to cover the second game. It's hoped that production will begin in Vancouver in early 2024.
As the strike continues, Mazin has ceased writing and producing duties on season 2 of the show (which includes casting), and Druckmann is currently not working on the show at all.
This is far from the only series to be disrupted as the writers' strike rolls on. Writing has been suspended on the likes of Cobra Kai season 6, Abbott Elementary season 3, and Yellowjackets season 3, while Andor season 2, House of the Dragon season 2, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 are all continuing without writers (including showrunners) on set. Production on Stranger Things season 5 has shut down entirely.
It remains to be seen if the strike ends up delaying The Last of Us season 2, but it sounds like we're in for a treat whenever the show does arrive. "We're certainly also going to push the technology that we use forward," Mazin has said of season 2. "We learned so much, particularly in regard to the infected and how to better deliver scenes with them. So, we're just going to keep moving the bar up and up and up. That's kind of our call to arms."
While you wait for The Last of Us season 2, check out our guide to the very best Netflix shows streaming now to fill out your watchlist.
