Big News for the Weekend: The HBO Series” The Last Of Us” has just been renewed for a second season. The series, co-created by Craig Mazin (“Chernobyl”) and Neil Druckmann (creator and writer of the video game of the same name and Naughty Dog co-president), is HBO's second-biggest series launch after “House of the Dragon”. In Germany, too, "The Last Of Us" is the second-best non-linear start ever on the platform, only "House of the Dragon" was more successful. The same applies to the streaming service WOW.

“Craig and Neil, along with Executive Producer Carolyn Strauss and the rest of our phenomenal cast and crew, defined a genre with their masterful first season of 'The Last of Us.' "After such an unforgettable first season, I can't wait to see this team surpass themselves again in season two."

Francesca Orsi, EVP, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films

"I'm impressed, honored and frankly blown away that so many people tuned in and connected to our retelling of Joel and Ellie's journey. Working with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast and crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations. Now we have the great pleasure of repeating this with Season XNUMX! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog and PlayStation, I want to thank you!"

Neil Druckman, Executive Producer

“I'm so grateful to Neil Druckmann and HBO for our partnership, and even more grateful to the millions of people who have joined us on this journey. The audience gave us a chance to keep going, and as a fan of the characters and world that Neil and Naughty Dog created, I can't wait to dive back into it."

Executive producer Craig Mazin

With a 97% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, "The Last Of Us" was dubbed "HBO's Next Big Hit" by Rolling Stone magazine, while Variety noted, "You can see a near future where the series will be among the best on television heard". The series was also celebrated by critics in Germany. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote: "From now on, game adaptations must be measured against The Last Of Us." Stern Online says: “Sensational cast and unimagined depth of character”. And Spiegel Online praises: “Zombies have never looked more beautiful”. Süddeutsche Zeitung wrote: "Ellie is an unusually well-written, funny, brave, very believable character and, as played by 19-year-old Englishwoman Bella Ramsey ("Catherine Called Birdy"), she becomes the strongest argument for the series. ” And the Tagesspiegel explains what makes “The Last Of Us” so special: “It is the combination of science fiction and social drama: the game and series have a threat as their theme, which is based on a real basis within certain limits. It describes possible effects of a pandemic that even go beyond the horrors of Corona."

About “The Last Of Us”:

The story of The Last Of Us takes place twenty years after modern civilization was destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of a oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon turns into a brutal and heartbreaking journey as the two must cross the United States together and fight to survive together.

The cast includes Pedro Pascal (“Game of Thrones”) as Joel, and up-and-coming British actress Bella Ramsey (“Game of Thrones,” “His Dark Materials”) as Ellie. Also starring are Gabriel Luna (“True Detective”) as Tommy, Anna Torv (“Mindhunter”) as Tess and British actress Nico Parker (“The Third Day”) as Sarah, Murray Bartlett (“The White Lotus ”) as Frank, Nick Offerman (“The Resort”) as Bill, Storm Reid (“Euphoria”) as Riley and Merle Dandridge (“The Flight Attendant”) as Marlene, Jeffrey Pierce (“Castle Rock”) as Perry, Lamar Johnson (“Your Honor”) as Henry, Keivonn Woodard as Sam, Graham Greene (“The Green Mile”) as Marlon, Elaine Miles (“Alaska of all places”) as Florence, as well as Ashley Johnson (“Blindspot”) and Troy Baker (“ American Dad”).

Craig Mazin (“Chernobyl”) and Neil Druckmann (The Last Of Us video game) wrote the screenplay and served as executive producers. The series is a co-production of Sony Pictures Television. Carolyn Strauss, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan and Rose Lam also serve as executive producers. Producing PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint and Naughty Dog.

Facts:

Original title: “The Last Of Us”, SciFi drama series, 9 episodes, episode one approx. 83 minutes, episodes two to nine approx. 60 minutes each, USA/CAN 2022. Screenplay: Craig Mazin, Neil Druckmann. Directed by, among others, Kantemir Balagov, Jeremy Webb, Ali Abbasi, Neil Druckmann. Executive Producers: Craig Mazin, Neil Druckmann, Carolyn Strauss, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, Rose Lam. Producers: PlayStation Productions, Word Games, The Mighty Mint and Naughty Dog. Cast: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna, Anna Torv, Nico Parker, Murray Bartlett, Nick Offerman, Melanie Lynskey, Storm Reid, Merle Dandridge, Jeffrey Pierce, Lamar Johnson, Keivonn Woodard, Graham Greene, Elaine Miles. Ashley Johnson, Troy Baker.

Broadcast Dates:

Available on the night of January 16, 2023 on the WOW streaming service and via Sky Q. Weekly broadcast. Optionally in German or in the original as well as optionally with German or English subtitles.

From March 6, 2023 every Monday at 20.15:XNUMX p.m. on Sky Atlantic.