'The Last of Us' Season 2 production halts amid writer's strike

Production on HBO’s hit post-apocalyptic show – The Last of Us has hit a snag due to the continued strike of Hollywood writers.

According to Variety, the filming hadn’t kicked off yet but the auditions for new cast members were in process for season 2. However, the auditioning actors had to read dialogs directly from The Last of Us Part II game as scripts for the second season are not ready yet. Since the season of the show used most of the dialogues from the game, it doesn’t seem like a bad idea to let actors read lines from the game for the auditions.

The show’s co-creator Craig Mazin was seen protesting with fellow members of the Writers’ Guild of America(WGA). Since Mazin wrote a major part of the first season of the show, the release window of the second season is expected to be affected.

The creators of The Last of Us had previously revealed that due to the revenge-based plot of the show, it would run for more than two seasons. The show’s production team had intended for filming to begin late this year or early 2024. The lead actress Bella Ramsey even claimed that the show would be released in late 2024 or early 2025.

The Last of Us season one was welcomed by fans and critics alike and immediately got a green light from HBO for a second season. The show is confirmed to return with Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal as the leads.