Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann has teased that Season 2 of HBO’s The Last of Us will include one particular scene that provides “a lot of backstory” for a major character. Speaking to Variety, Druckmann–who co-directed the first two games and also works on the show–said he thinks fans will enjoy this sequence, in part because it will provide more context than what was possible to provide in the game series.
“There’s stuff in this season that I’m really excited about–stuff that we hinted at–one scene in particular comes to mind that I think fans of the game will eat up, because it really kind of tells you a lot of backstory of this important character that there wasn’t really a way for us to even do that in the game,” Druckmann said.
That’s all Druckmann had to say about this particular scene. The game series is filled with significant characters with mysterious pasts, so it’s anyone’s guess as to who Druckmann is referring to. The Last of Us Season 2 adapts at least some parts of the story of The Last of Us: Part II, so fans can expect a lot of drama. The show will introduce new characters in Season 2, including Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), Dina (Isabela Merced), and Jesse (Young Mazino), among others.
Also in the interview, The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin discussed Season 1’s acclaimed “Long, Long Time” episode that provided new insight into the relationship between Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett). The love story episode served its purpose of fleshing out a backstory in a meangingful way, and it represented an example of how the show could expand on the source material, Mazin said.
“How do we expand this world? How will we build this world? Sometimes the best surprises for players are when they get to see a backstory or like, oh, this was mentioned in the game, and now they get to see a full episode about this thing, again, like Bill and Frank. It makes the game richer. To me, that’s the best kind of adaptation,” he said.
Today, September 26, is known as Outbreak Day in The Last of Us lore. It marks the day when the Cordyceps brain virus began infecting people in earnest in The Last of Us. Naughty Dog historically has marked the occasion in some fashion, and some believe new footage of The Last of Us Season 2 could premiere today. While that remains to be seen, The Last of Us Part I is out now on PlayStation Plus, while Sony is offering a 10% discount on The Last of Us-themed merch.
As for the game series, The Last of Us: Part III could be coming up next.
