As the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes continue, The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin has confirmed that the HBO adaptation may be the latest show to be affected.
Per Entertainment Weekly, the writer and showrunner admitted that while some work on Season 2 is continuing, he’s very certain the next batch of episodes will be hit with a delay. “To the extent that we can keep anybody below the line working, that’s fantastic,” Mazin said. “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.” The showrunner went on to state that while many of the cast and crew were eager to continue working on The Last of Us because of their passion for the story.
Despite this seemingly likely delay, Mazin also confirmed that plenty of work has already gone into Season 2. “We were able to map out all of Season 2,” he revealed. “And I also wrote and submitted the script for the first episode and sent it in [to HBO] around 10:30 or 10:40 p.m. right before the midnight the strike began.”
The Last of Us Takes the World By Storm
Premiering in early 2023, The Last of Us quickly rose through HBO’s charts as one of the network’s most popular series. Starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, the show earned universal praise from fans and critics alike with many championing its strong performances and impassioned writing as highlights. The Last of Us was so well recieved that a second season was ordered before the first installment had even come to an end.
As for what could happen in Season 2, many fans have expressed concern that the show could lift some controversial storybeats from the video game when inspired the adaptation. Mazin has admitted that while he has no issue with killing characters, certain characters may have their fates changed to better the story he wants to tell. “If you are planning on running a series for as long as it can, you put plot armor on your main characters until such time the actors are asking for too much money or their Q score goes down, or the ratings go down, and then you kill them. That’s not what we do or what HBO does. So anyone can die at any moment, as far as I’m concerned.”
The Last of Us Season 1 is available to stream on Max.
Source: Entertainment Weekly