The first glimpse of The Last of Us Season 2 has finally arrived. HBO revealed a teaser for the highly anticipated second season on Thursday, featuring narration by guest star Catherine O’Hara.
While her role has been kept under wraps, it appears she plays a therapist helping Joel confront the traumatic events of Season 1. If so, she would be portraying a completely original character not found in the video game.
“You can’t heal something unless you’re brave enough to say it out loud,” O’Hara’s character says in the teaser. “Say the thing that you’re afraid to say. Say it out loud, no matter what it is. No matter how bad. What did you do?”
The teaser doesn’t reveal much about the storyline for Season 2 but offers brief looks at Kaitlyn Dever as Abby and Isabela Merced as Dina, along with some iconic moments from the game.
HBO dropped the video to commemorate “Outbreak Day,” the in-universe day when the cordyceps virus set off the events at the beginning of The Last of Us. This year marks the 11th anniversary of the franchise celebrating September 26.
In Season 2, five years of peace after the first season’s events come to an end as Joel and Ellie’s past begins to haunt them, pulling them into new conflicts and an even more dangerous, unpredictable world.
Though an exact release date hasn’t been confirmed, the season is expected to debut in the first half of 2025. Show creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have hinted that Season 2 will be shorter than the first, with only seven episodes, though one episode will be “quite big” in length.
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are set to return as Joel and Ellie, joined by Gabriel Luna as Tommy and Rutina Wesley as Maria.
The cast also includes new additions like Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny, and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac. Catherine O’Hara also guest stars.
The Last of Us is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. It’s a co-production with Sony Pictures Television, with additional executive producers including Carolyn Strauss, Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O’Connor, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Evan Wells. The series is produced by PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog.