The Last of Us Showrunner Hints at Possible Season 4

HBO's The Last of Us might need more than one extra season to adapt the video game franchise's controversial sequel in full.

In a conversation with Deadline, co-showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann revealed that they're eying at least four seasons to complete Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel's (Pedro Pascal) story, though nothing past season 2 has been confirmed yet. According to Mazin, "We don't think that we're going to be able to tell the story even within two seasons [2 and 3] because we're taking our time and go down interesting pathways which we did a little bit in Season 1 too. We feel like it's almost assuredly going to be the case that — as long as people keep watching and we can keep making more television — Season 3 will be significantly larger. And indeed, the story may require season 4."

Casting for season 2 -- which, unlike season 1, will be seven episodes long -- will include multiple allies and adversaries from The Last of Us Part II but, per Druckmann, their story won't exceed past what happened in the available games. "As Craig mentioned, there's quite a bit of material there that we're taking our time with, and we're looking at each piece individually to make sure it's got its own arc, its own journey that the characters go on, but there is a grander plan that ties all the seasons together," he confirmed. Similar to his Naughty Dog games, Druckmann also teased season 2's events mirroring season 1 thematically, calling Ellie's journey "a continuation of love from the first season, and this is just the dark side of that coin, the pursuit of justice at any cost for the ones you love and the exploration of that."

The Last of Us Part II Serves as Inspiration

Confirmed season 2 ally characters include Isabela Merced and Young Mazino as Dina and Jesse, both of whom join Ellie in her vengeance quest against Kaitlyn Dever's Abby Anderson. Dever -- who originally auditioned for the role of Ellie -- meanwhile, will be joined by Tati Gabrielle, Ariela Barer, Danny Ramirez, and Spencer Lord as fellow Washington Liberation Front members Nora, Mel, Manny, and Owen, all of whom played significant roles in The Last of Us Part II's controversial Abby's storyline. One familiar face, however, is Jeffrey Wright, who will reprise his role from Part II as the WLF's leader, Isaac. This makes Wright the second Last of Us star to play their game character in live-action after Merle Dandridge, though other voice actors like Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson appeared in various season 1 supporting roles.

In addition to following Part II's story, Druckman revealed that season 2 will feature an adaptation of a "cut level" that never made it into the 2020 game. Naughty Dog, meanwhile, is currently working on a new video game, though it remains to be seen whether this game is another The Last of Us sequel.