As the Fireflies' famous catchphrase goes: "When you're lost in the darkness, look for the light." And as our not-so-famous catchphrase goes: "When you're waiting patiently for The Last Of Us Season 2, look for the first images of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey's return as Joel and Ellie." Good news – that light has arrived, people. During an Upfront presentation yesterday, Warner Bros. Discovery gave fans their first look at Season 2 of Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin's critically acclaimed game adaptation — and we're already feeling all the feels. You can see the Joel pic above – and here's the Ellie shot:
Now, these pictures don't tell us an awful lot about what's coming in Season 2, but that doesn't make them any less fascinating to look at. Joel's grown-out locks. Ellie's winter hat. His new jacket. Her new shotgun (who — or what — is it aimed at?). Both of them look a bit older now, as you might expect after the events of the first season's wrenching finale. And is it just us, or do those lights look like those lights from that scene in The Last Of Us Part II? We'll have to wait a little while longer before we can find out, with the season expected to arrive at some point in 2025 – though when exactly, we don't know.
But fear not, fellow Naughty Doggers (we're still workshopping an official fandom name), there are some things that we do know. As we've reported in recent months, the new season — which started shooting in February — adds Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, and Catherine O'Hara in a guest-starring role to the cast. Other new faces include Ariela Barer's Mel, Tati Gabrielle's Nora, Spencer Lord's Owen, and Danny Ramirez' Manny. And, as long-time TLOU fans will be quick to note, these additions are very The Last Of Us Part II heavy, suggesting that the show — at least to some degree — will mirror the games, exploring the consequences of Joel's actions at the end of the story's first chapter.
We also know that, per Deadline's reporting, Mark Mylod (Succession), Kate Herron (Loki), Nina Lopez-Corrado (Perry Mason), and Stephen Williams (Watchmen) will be directing episodes in this season's run, as well as Peter Hoar, who earned an Emmy nod for his work on Season 1's 'Long, Long Time'. And if there's one other thing we can all be absolutely certain of, it's this: it's going to be emotional, folks.