(Left) Patrick Wilson directs and stars in ‘Insidious: The Red Door.’ (Right) Jason Ritter Promoting Netflix’s ‘Raising Dion’ Season 2.
Preview:
Jason Ritter and Patrick Wilson will appear in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 3.
Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle and Spencer Lord are all becoming regulars.
Bella Ramsey and Isabela Merced are among those returning.While the second season of post-apocalyptic video game adaptation ‘The Last of Us’ proved to be a more divisive run of episodes, it certainly still saw big viewership for HBO.
And trivia note: this actually marks Ritter’s second turn on the show: he previously had an uncredited role of a Clicker (the nickname for those infected with the mutated cordyceps fungus) on two episodes of Season 1, appearing alongside his wife, Melanie Lynskey.
(L to R) Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ season 1. Photo: Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Adapting the hugely successful Naughty Dog video game title, ‘The Last of Us’ takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed by a fungal outbreak that mutates its victims.
Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
Season 2, set five years after the events of the first, brought even more dramatic events into the lives of our heroes. And while Season 3 has yet to offer an official plotline, it’ll reportedly show several of the second season’s events from the perspective of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever).
When will ‘The Last of Us’ Season 3 be on screens?
HBO has yet to announce a date for the new season, though 2027 seems likely given the time needed to shoot and put the episodes through post-production.
Kaitlyn Dever in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Kathryn Bigelow is the perfect person to handle an inordinately tense, gripping and powerful near-real time military thriller. Less a war film more a story of the buildup to potential conflict, it marks her successful return to moviemaking following the less-than-enthusiastic reaction to 2017’s ‘Detroit’.
And this is a talent who deserved better than to sit on the sidelines for years.
Script and Direction
Kathryn Bigelow attends the Netflix film ‘A House of Dynamite’ NYFF Main Slate Premiere and Q&A on September 28, 2025 in New York City. Photo: Jason Mendez/Getty Images for Netflix.
Noah Oppenheim, an NBC news veteran, has been behind scripts including ‘Jackie’ and the recent Netflix series ‘Zero Day’, and pumps up the tension with a structure that resets the clock on the story across three acts, telling the same story of a missile headed to the US from an unknown aggressor from different viewpoints up and down the command chain from isolated military bases to the hubs of the White House and the Pentagon.
While the switch in focus means some characters are better served than others, and some of the more movie-ish peeks into personal lives dip precariously close to cheese, it still works.
Bigelow keeps the camera moving and the tension levels high for this one, aided by Volker Bertelmann‘s doomy, evolving score. It’s the director’s best in years and deserves to be seen.
With such a big cast to service, it’s impressive how many big names Bigelow has recruited here. Standouts include Rebecca Ferguson’s steely, but human operations officer at the White House, Jason Clarke as her boss, Gabriel Basso as a nervy National Security Advisor thrust into a new level of responsibility and Jared Leto as Secretary of Defense Baker, at once outraged by the lack of efficiency in his country’s response to the weapon headed its way a terrified for his estranged daughter (an underused Kaitlyn Dever).
If there’s a weak link here, it’s Idris Elba, who never really convinces as the President.
(Left) Sam Neill in ‘Jurassic Park’. Photo: Universal Pictures. (Right) 2021’s ‘Godzilla vs. Kong.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Preview:
Sam Neill is the latest recruit for the latest Godzilla and King Kong ‘Monsterverse’ movie.
Grant Sputore is directing the new movie.
Dan Stevens will be back as vet Trapper.
Given that he’s one of the key figures in the ‘Jurassic Park’ franchise (and who popped back up for ‘Jurassic World: Dominion,’ you might think that Sam Neill would want to avoid trouble with giant beasties in his cinematic career.
Yet here he is again, not back with the genetically returned dinosaurs this time, but instead taking his chances running around with another massive reptile –– Godzilla, who will be back on screens with best pal/frenemy King Kong for the next, still-to-be-officially-titled Monsterverse movie from Legendary and Warner Bros.
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Deadline reports that Neill has joined the cast of the new movie, which is now in production.
The movie followed up the explosive showdown of ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ with an all-new cinematic adventure, pitting the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat of a monstrous white ape hidden within our world, challenging their very existence –– and our own.
It delved further into the histories of these Titans, their origins, and the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever.
The new, untitled effort is still mostly being kept under wraps, but according to the first official details, it’ll follow “several new human characters alongside the beloved and iconic Titans Godzilla and Kong as they face off against a cataclysmic world-ending threat.”
Yep, apparently, there are still some giant threats lurking out there; so the big ape and the giant lizard will have to spring into action once again. But at least they have new some human friends (and potentially foes) to spend time with!
And back in January, Deadline reported that the movie saw its first piece of casting as Kaitlyn Dever locked in a deal to star.
Best known for her roles in TV limited series ‘Dopesick’ and the 2019 movie ‘Booksmart,’ Dever has a key role in the second season of HBO’s ‘The Last of Us,’ which just returned to screens.
Kaitlyn Dever in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Details on her character are also, like much of the movie, a mystery, though apparently it represents a renewed push to add in solid characters, which has been a common complaint of especially some of the more recent Monsterverse efforts.
As with Dever and Modine, we don’t yet know anyone is playing, but Dan Stevens is confirmed to reprise his role as Trapper, the cocky, thrill-seeking veterinarian who helps Kong when the giant ape is injured.
Where else have I seen Sam Neill?
(from left) Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon) and Kayla Watts (DeWanda Wise) in Jurassic World Dominion, co-written and directed by Colin Trevorrow.
As we mentioned above, Neill may still be best known for his role as warm-but-grouchy paleontologist Alan Grant in various ‘Jurassic’ movies.
Yet the versatile actor has enjoyed a long, successful career hopping between the giant likes of those blockbusters and more indie work.
Already around for a decade, Legendary’s Monsterverse follows humanity’s battle to survive in a world facing a catastrophic new reality –– the monsters of our myths and legends are real.
The Monsterverse has grossed more than $2.5 billion at the global box office and has expanded onto smaller screens via ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ for Apple TV+, which has been renewed for a second season.
When will the new Monsterverse movie be on screens?
The movie is currently scheduled for release on March 26th, 2027. Let’s hope theaters have time to reinforce their walls. And that it doesn’t inspire kaiju to start their own version of the ‘Minecraft’ audience chaos when it opens.
(L to R) Isabela Merced and Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Preview:
‘The Last of Us’ has been renewed for Season 3.
The show adapts the wildly successful video game.
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey star in the show.
With the second season of much-loved video game adaptation ‘The Last of Us’ landing on screens to plenty of acclaim this past weekend, it would appear that HBO’s belief in the show is at an all-time high.
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The channel has handed down a third-season order for the show, which adapts the video game created by Neil Druckmann and his team at Naughty Dog Studios.
‘The Last of Us’ series is set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by people infected by a fungus that turns them into mutated zombie-like creatures, and stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
‘The Last of Us’ takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, played by Pascal, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
Producers/Showrunners Craig Mazin (‘Chernobyl’) and Druckmann have yet to detail exactly what the new season will cover.
The first season of ‘The Last of Us’ covered much of games ‘The Last of Us Part I’ and ‘The Last of Us: Left Behind’, while Season 2 will cover part of ‘The Last of Us Part II,’ kicking off with a five-year time jump as in the video game.
Ellie, 14 in Part I and Left Behind, is 19 in Part II, and she and Joel have been living in Jackson since they left the Fireflies in Salt Lake City.
While zero details have been revealed on Season 3, we can expect it to tackle more of ‘The Last of Us Part II.’
Who else is in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2?
Kaitlyn Dever in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
With Pascal and Ramsey both back for the new season, the cast of the show is growing and changing as their quest continues.
On top of them, Jeffrey Wright is playing Isaac, who in the game is the quietly powerful leader of a large militia group, known as the Washington Liberation Front. They sought liberty but instead have become mired in an endless war against a surprisingly resourceful enemy.
Wright represents the second actor to reprise a voice role from the game, after Merle Dandridge did the same for her character Marlene in Season 1.
And while we won’t get too deeply into it, if Season 2 covers certain events, the cast will be a little smaller when Season 3 dawns. But again; without having seen the whole season, we can’t speak to that, and won’t spoil anything for those who approach the story from the point of view of the show alone and haven’t played the game.
‘The Last of Us’ Season 3 renewal: The Team Talks
(L to R) Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann on the set of ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
With the renewal now official (hardly a surprise given the success of the show so far and the early reactions to Season 2 even before its launch), HBO and the show’s creators have weighed in on its return.
“It can’t be overemphasized how proud HBO is for the outstanding achievement we believe the second season of ‘The Last of Us’ is. Craig, Neil, Carolyn and the entire executive producer team, cast and crew have delivered a masterful follow-up and we’re thrilled to carry the power of Craig and Neil’s storytelling into what we know will be an equally moving and extraordinary third season.”
And this is what Craig Mazin had to say:
“We approached season two with the goal of creating something we could be proud of. The end results have exceeded even our most ambitious goals, thanks to our continued collaboration with HBO and the impeccable work of our unparalleled cast and crew. We look forward to continuing the story of ‘The Last of Us’ with season three!”
Finally, this is the quote from Druckmann:
“To see ‘The Last of Us’ brought to life so beautifully and faithfully has been a career highlight for me, and I am grateful for the fans’ enthusiastic and overwhelming support. Much of that success is thanks to my partner in crime, Craig Mazin, our partnership with HBO, and our team at PlayStation Productions. On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog, our cast, and crew, thank you so much for allowing us this opportunity. We’re thrilled to bring you more of ‘The Last of Us’!”
When will ‘The Last of Us’ Season 3 be on screens?
We’ll all need some patience. Season 2 has just launched this past weekend, and while we’re relatively sure the team knew that Season 3 would be a done deal, there is still scripting and filming work to be done.
With luck, we should have the new season next year, though ‘The Last of Us’ has been such a good thing so far that it’s worth waiting for.
(L to R) Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ season 1. Photo: Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 receives 8.5 out of 10 stars.
Back on Max for its second season and debut the first episode on April 13th, ‘The Last of Us’ plunges us back into the chaotic, carefully-crafted world adapted from the Naughty Dog game originally created by Neil Druckmann and his team.
Now Druckmann, working again with co-showrunner Craig Mazin, is starting the even more perplexing process of adapting ‘The Last of Us Part II,’ which deepened the story of the game and its hard-bitten survivors.
Is ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 worth battling mushroom zombies to see?
(L to R) Bella Ramsey and Gabriel Luna in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Perhaps the biggest question, and indeed challenge facing the new season of the show is whether it can live up to the praise and success of the first. It’s a situation that co-creator Neil Druckmann has faced before in this universe, and it should give fans of the show who never played the game hope that by all regards, ‘The Last of Us Part II’ is seen as superior to the original, much-loved game.
Of course, season 2 of a TV series, even one with a pedigree such as this, is a different beast. Yet Druckmann and Mazin have shown remarkable patience and care with their work, bring what works about the game to the screen by making the changes necessary to ensure it functions in a different, less interactive medium.
And it’s reassuring to report that, on the basis of the first episode of the new season, ‘Future Days,’ their efforts continue to pay off.
Script and Direction
(L to R) Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann on the set of ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
While Mazin and Druckmann do the lion’s share of the writing on the show, the first episode features a script by Halley Wegryn Gross that has a lot of work to do.
Though there is a brief moment set right at the end of Season 1, the majority of the episode takes place five years later. With the survivors’ base in Jackson, Wyoming (a former ski resort repurposed as a fortress against the fungi-ravaged zombie-like mutants that prowl the lands between encampments) up and running as a functioning community.
That means we not only have to be re-introduced to Pedro Pascal’s tough-but-heartfelt Joel and Bella Ramsey’s headstrong Ellie (now even more so as a 19-year-old brawler itching to take on more responsibility), but fill us in on all the other characters.
Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
The script for ‘Future Days’ is busy but finds time for everyone –– even deviating from the game in introducing and immediately identifying Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby Anders as someone who is looking to enact vengeance on Joel for his actions in the final episode of the previous season.
Another challenge for the script is to start building towards what game players already know is coming either in this season or the next (both are drawn from ‘The Last of Us Part II’ game) –– no spoilers, but things don’t end well.
Mazin doesn’t have that many directing credits to his name despite years in the feature business, and even with his involvement in the series, this is the first time he has called the shots on an episode. But he shows a steady hand and a clear eye for what makes the show work, and if the time jump is a jolt, the style is not.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ season 1. Photo: Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Anchored by Pascal and Ramsey, the episode doesn’t forget to give other performers some solid work.
Pascal is, of course, still great as the haunted, soulful Joel, the man who never expected to find a surrogate daughter after losing his own in the early days of the pandemic that rocked the world. Here, we find him in problem-solving mode, and Pascal brings out all the tones, including his sly sense of humor.
(Left) Kaitlyn Dever in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO. (Right) Catherine O’Hara in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Ramsey has even more to prove with the more grown version of Ellie, but they handle the job fluidly, this tougher, less childish version of the character finding new connections while still dealing with old issues.
Among the newcomers we meet, Dever makes and impact with relatively little screen time as Abby, Isabel Merced is a shiny delight as Dina and Catherine O’Hara gets to go to some deeper places as Gail, who is tending to Joel’s mental health.
Final Thoughts
Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Though it remains to be seen how the rest of the season and beyond plays out, the first episode of ‘The Last of Us’ new season is a welcomer reminder of why this is one of the best shows on TV.
There is so much solid character work going on from both sides of the camera, and the look of the show, including some truly scary mushroom mutants, is still superb.
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What is the plot of ‘The Last of Us’ season 2?
Five years after the events of the first season, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.
Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
When it originally landed on our screens with its first season two years ago, ‘The Last of Us’ became an instant sensation, hailed for transferring its video game source material with care and authenticity while also expanding the complicated, emotional world originally built by Neil Druckmann and his team.
With Druckmann involved as a key collaborator alongside fellow show developer (and ‘Chernobyl’ limited series veteran) Craig Mazin, ‘The Last of Us’ tells the post-apocalyptic story of the world brought to ruin by mutated Cordyceps fungus, which spread through a global pandemic and turned a majority of the population into infected, transformed zombie-like creatures.
Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) are two survivors trying to make their way through this difficult world.
Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Season 2 explores the fallout from the first, when Joel massacred a group looking to extract a cure from Ellie –– the procedure nearly killing her –– and is set five years later, with Joel and Ellie seemingly settled into a mountain community of fellow survivors in Jackson, Wyoming.
But Joel’s actions may yet catch up to him, and Ellie is finding other connections in this world.
Here are 10 things we learned at that press conference, edited for clarity and length. ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 will debut with its first episode on Max on April 13th.
1) Bella Ramsey Is Excited For The Show To Be Back
Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Ramsey admitted they were nervous to see the reaction to the new season.
Bella Ramsey: It’s a little bit scary. When season one came out obviously it was this huge thing. I think I’m just so aware of season two coming out and everybody looking at it and looking at me and it’s quite scary, but it’s exciting. I’m trying to see it as a celebration of all the hard work that we did. I just hope that people will –– I mean, people are going to like it ––because these guys did an incredible job and we all went into it with complete trust for them. We’ve been carried and protected the whole way, so it’s pretty exciting and I hope that people will watch it.
2) Kaitlyn Dever Was Anxious About Joining The Show
Kaitlyn Dever in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Dever –– who was actually attached as Ellie back during a version of the story being made as a movie –– plays Abby Anderson, who has a reason to hate Joel.
Kaitlyn Dever: It was all of the feelings. I was nervous, I was anxious, but also very excited. I’ve been a huge fan of this game and the show for a very long time. The reach of this world is so, so big. The world of ‘The Last of Us’ is so large. You can feel that, even in wardrobe fittings when you’re first in prep and then finally getting on set. It still feels very big but I felt less nervous once I got onto set, just because of this wonderful group of people and being held by Craig and Neil.
3) Mazin Was Actually Very Impressed With Dever As Abby
Kaitlyn Dever in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
The co-writer/showrunner and occasional director was full of praise for Dever and her co-stars.
Mazin: Kaitlyn did things that I’m not sure she even should have done. I don’t know how you did them. We knew her, obviously, as an actor and what she could do, but when you then meet the person and you’re, “well, what can you actually do? What are you comfortable with?” Kaitlyn just would never say no. It was amazing. When you see how physically tremendous her performance is, it’s insane. We just haven’t f****d up in casting. We just haven’t f****d up.
4) Young Mazino Felt Fortunate To Have Gotten The Job
Young Mazino in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Mazino, who was seen in ‘Beef,’ plays Jesse, ex-boyfriend of Isabela Merced’s Dina and friend to Ellie.
Young Mazino: I felt incredibly fortunate. Joining a second season for something that was so well established the first time and the trust that I think Craig and Neil had in me to deliver on this character. I do remember getting more nervous when I stepped onto set and realizing the sheer scale of the town and seeing the huge gate that they built. That’s when I started to feel a little tripped out. But then, but then the longer I was there, I realized the energy was so, so warm and so inviting, and I feel like there was no ego on set. I think that’s a rare thing, especially the larger sets. I had such a blast. It was chill.
5) Ramsey and Pascal Talked About The Rifts That Have Formed in Ellie and Joel’s Adoptive Father/Daughter Dynamic
(L to R) Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ season 1. Photo: Liane Hentscher/HBO.
It’s clear when season 2 kicks off that in the years since the first, Ellie and Joel have seen emotional distance grow between them, which for the actors presented a challenge but also an opportunity.
Ramsey: Obviously a lot has changed over those five years. Ellie was 14 and now is 19. I think in any teenager’s life that’s always the formative years, so that definitely informed it. But there’s deeper reasons for their little rift. I didn’t enjoy the feeling of feeling estranged from Pedro within a scene. It wasn’t a nice feeling. When the cameras were rolling. In real life, we still sort of each other, just about! But it was definitely interesting.
6) Pascal Addressed Treating a Show Such as ‘The Last of Us’ as Escapism When It Still Confronts Real-World Issues
Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
The actor opened up about the show’s depth of theme and feeling.
Pascal: I think that storytelling is cathartic in so many ways, always has been. It’s the way that human beings have made testimony to life. Whether it was handprints on the walls inside of a cave to television show that you can stream on Max. So, for me, growing up, all of my development was based on books I’ve read, movies I’ve seen, and television that I’ve watched. So, it’s very much going to reflect the human experience. Under such extreme circumstances, I think that there’s a very healthy and sometimes sick pleasure in that catharsis, in a safe space, to see human relationships under crisis and in pain and intelligently draw political allegory, societal allegory based off of the world that we’re living in and, and very beautifully and very intelligently.
7) Druckmann Was Asked About the Show’s Change to Abby’s Backstory Introduction
(L to R) Danny Ramirez, Tati Gabrielle, Ariela Barer, Kaitlyn Dever, and Spencer Lord in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
‘The Last of Us’ makes a key change to Dever’s character Abby, setting up her backstory immediately as opposed to the game, which holds it off for a while.
Druckmann: In the game [Part 2], you play as Abby, so you immediately form an empathic connection with her because you’re surviving as her. You’re running through the snow, you’re fighting infected, and we can withhold certain things and make it a mystery that will be revealed later in the story. We couldn’t do that in the show because you’re not playing as her, so we need other tools. That context gave us that shortcut. Something similar happened in season one when the first game starts with you playing as Sarah, and we didn’t have to do a lot of heavy lifting for you to care about Sarah, because you’re playing as her, you’re experiencing the outbreak as her. In the show, we had to spend quite a bit of time to achieve something similar.
8) Asked What The Most Satisfying Moment Was to Adapt, Mazin Gave a Careful Answer
(L to R) Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann on the set of ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Not wanting to give away spoilers, Mazin talked about his favorite scene to craft.
Mazin: There is –– I don’t want to say what it is –– but there was a scene in the in the final episode of the season. It’s quite impactful in the game, but there was this evolution of it as we put it on film that blows me away. Those moments are very exciting. But I have to admit, there’s also –– this is not a spoiler, it’s in the trailer –– you see Pedro and Bella both by the space capsule in the museum and that scene is the first thing that Neil ever showed me from [the game] ‘The Last of Us Part Two.’ It’s beautiful and watching them inhabit that and make it their own was pretty spectacular. [doing Larry David impression] Pretty, pretty good. We’ll let you watch it sometime.
9) Isabela Merced Talked About What Dina Means To Her
Isabela Merced in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
The actor discussed her character, who starts a relationship with Ellie in the new season.
Isabela Merced: I kind of see Dina as an extension of myself. If I were in an apocalyptic situation, I would try to lighten it up a bit. I think that’s our superpower as humans, is we really have the power to shift our perspective and make our own reality. I think Dina is also Ellie’s compass and light, in a way. I think Dina’s also grieving at the same time, and we explore that. I think it’s going to be really fun to get to know Dina as more than just “the funny guy.” I think Craig does a great job of well-rounding his characters like that.
10) Mazin Says That We Can Expect At Least One More Standalone Episode This Year
(L to R) Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett in ‘The Last of Us’ season 1. Photo: Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Following the wide praise for the standalone diversion episode ‘Long, Long Time,’ which told the story of survivors Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett), the showrunner explained there will be more.
Mazin: One thing that Neil and I talked about was just making sure that we didn’t just say, “Oh, you know, that Bill and Frank episode… people really liked that. Let’s do a very special episode of ‘The Last of Us’ Season Two.” It just has to happen as it happens. But I will say that there is a gorgeous episode this season directed by Neil that is different. it’s not Bill and Frank, but it is, in its own way, its own thing, because it needed to be. Just you wait.
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What is the plot of ‘The Last of Us’ season 2?
Five years after the events of the first season, Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.
Matthew Modine will be part of the cast for the ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ sequel.
His character is a mystery for now.
Grant Sputore is in the director’s chair.
As Legendary and Warner Bros. look to keep the Monsterverse marching onwards, the latest movie in the ever-expanding creature feature franchise is stomping towards production on its latest installment, with cameras ready to roll in Australia starting next month.
Just last month, we learned that Dan Stevens would be returning to play Trapper, the cocky, Hawaiian shirt-sporting vet who helps treat King Kong when the giant beast is injured.
Now, per Deadline, Matthew Modine is also joining the new movie, playing a character whose motivations are a mystery.
Could he be a wrong ‘un, like Modine’s last big genre effort, ‘Stranger Things,’ where he played a nefarious scientist? Or possibly a benevolent type who just wants to help the other human characters from becoming monster-bait.
If we’re honest, we could picture the actor as a shady higher-up within the Monarch organization that monitors monster developments.
The movie followed up the explosive showdown of ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ with an all-new cinematic adventure, pitting the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat of a monstrous white ape hidden within our world, challenging their very existence –– and our own.
It delved further into the histories of these Titans, their origins, and the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever.
The new, untitled effort is still mostly being kept under wraps, but according to the first official details, it’ll follow “several new human characters alongside the beloved and iconic Titans Godzilla and Kong as they face off against a cataclysmic world-ending threat.”
Yep, apparently, there are still some giant threats lurking out there; so the big ape and the giant lizard will have to spring into action once again. At least Kong will know his teeth will be taken care of…
And back in January, Deadline reported that the movie saw its first piece of casting as Kaitlyn Dever locked in a deal to star.
Best known for her roles in TV limited series ‘Dopesick’ and the 2019 movie ‘Booksmart,’ Dever will next star in the Netflix limited series ‘Apple Cider Vinegar,’ and will also show up in the second season of HBO’s ‘The Last of Us.’
Details on her character are also, like much of the movie, a mystery, though apparently it represents a renewed push to add in solid characters, which has been a common complaint of especially some of the more recent Monsterverse efforts.
Modine is a veteran actor who certainly scored a new generation of fans thanks to ‘Stranger Things’ but he’s probably still best known for his role as Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick’s Vietnam War epic ‘Full Metal Jacket.’
On TV, in addition to ‘Stranger Things,’ he’s popped up in ‘The West Wing,’ ‘Weeds,’ ‘Proof’ and, most recently, he was seen opposite Robert De Niro in Netflix thriller series ‘Zero Day.’
What has happened with the Monsterverse so far?
‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,’ coming soon to Apple TV+.
Already around for a decade, Legendary’s Monsterverse follows humanity’s battle to survive in a world facing a catastrophic new reality –– the monsters of our myths and legends are real.
The Monsterverse has grossed more than $2.5 billion at the global box office and has expanded onto smaller screens via ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ for Apple TV+, which has been renewed for a second season.
When will the new Monsterverse movie be on screens?
The movie is currently scheduled for release on March 26th, 2027. So if you hear rumbling around that time, chances are it’s because some massive monster is headed to your local cinema.
Dan Stevens is returning for a new Monsterverse movie.
He played Kong dentist Trapper in ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.’
Grant Sputore is in the director’s chair this time.
Emboldened by the success of last year’s ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,’ (it earned more than $571 million at the worldwide box office), Legendary is full speed ahead expanding its “Monsterverse” cinematic universe revolving around the likes of Godzilla, King Kong and others (Gamera is still waiting for his spotlight. Justice for Gamera!)
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The next movie doesn’t yet have an announced title, but it’ll continue the story introduced in that film and there will be at least one human character continuing over.
Trapper, you may recall, was introduced wearing a loose Hawaiian shirt over a t-shirt, in ‘Godzilla x Kong’ doing dangerous dental work on Kong and replacing the big ape’s infected tooth.
This laidback veterinarian soon ends up joining the other characters on an expedition into Hollow Earth, an area that is the home to gigantic and monstrous creatures.
Stevens, of course, was brought aboard by his occasional collaborator, director Adam Wingard. Since handling the last two movies, though, Wingard has chosen not to return for this one.
Instead, Grant Sputore is in the director’s chair.
The movie followed up the explosive showdown of ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ with an all-new cinematic adventure, pitting the almighty Kong and the fearsome Godzilla against a colossal undiscovered threat of a monstrous white ape hidden within our world, challenging their very existence –– and our own.
It delved further into the histories of these Titans, their origins, and the mysteries of Skull Island and beyond, while uncovering the mythic battle that helped forge these extraordinary beings and tied them to humankind forever.
The new, untitled effort is still mostly being kept under wraps, but according to the first official details, it’ll follow “several new human characters alongside the beloved and iconic Titans Godzilla and Kong as they face off against a cataclysmic world-ending threat.”
Yep, apparently, there are still some giant threats lurking out there; so the big ape and the giant lizard will have to spring into action once again. At least Kong will know his teeth will be taken care of…
And last week, Deadline reported that the movie saw its first piece of casting as Kaitlyn Dever locked in a deal to star.
Best known for her roles in TV limited series ‘Dopesick’ and the 2019 movie ‘Booksmart,’ Dever will next star in the Netflix limited series ‘Apple Cider Vinegar,’ and will also show up in the second season of HBO’s ‘The Last of Us.’
Details on her character are also, like much of the movie, a mystery, though apparently it represents a renewed push to add in solid characters, which has been a common complaint of especially some of the more recent Monsterverse efforts.
Where else have I seen Dan Stevens?
Dan Stevens in ‘Cuckoo’. Photo: Neon.
The British actor rose to fame on UK TV series ‘Downton Abbey,’ but since then has forged a healthy movie career for himself.
Coming up, he has horror movie ‘The Ritual,’ ‘Swiped,’ which tells the story of Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, and action horror thriller ‘Onslaught,’ re-uniting him with Wingard.
There will also be the small screen likes of ‘The Terror’ and Robert De Niro-starring limited series ‘Zero Day.’
What has happened with the Monsterverse so far?
‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,’ coming soon to Apple TV+.
Already around for a decade, Legendary’s Monsterverse follows humanity’s battle to survive in a world facing a catastrophic new reality –– the monsters of our myths and legends are real.
It all kicked off with ‘Godzilla’ in 2014 and continued through 2017’s ‘Kong: Skull Island,’ 2019’s ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters,’ 2021’s ‘Godzilla Vs. Kong’ and last year’s record-breaking ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.’
The Monsterverse has grossed more than $2.5 billion at the global box office and has expanded onto smaller screens via ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ for Apple TV+, which has been renewed for a second season.
When will the new Monsterverse movie be on screens?
The movie is currently scheduled for release on March 26th, 2027. Plenty of time to get to the shelters for when the next round of creature madness stomps across cities.
(Left) Jeffrey Wright attends the Los Angeles Premiere of MGM’s ‘American Fiction’ at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on December 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Stewart Cook/Getty Images for MGM. (RIght) HBO Max’s ‘The Last of Us.’ Photo: Warner Media.
Preview:
Jeffrey Wright is joining ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2.
He’ll play Isaac, a militia leader.
The second season is now shooting.
As work continues apace on the second season of hit video game adaptation ‘The Last of Us’, we’ve been learning about the various people who are joining the likes of stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in the cast for the HBO series.
The latest recruit for the show is Jeffrey Wright, who needs little introduction at this point, but already has a history with the game itself –– he voiced (and was used for performance capture) of a character called Isaac in ‘The Last of Us Part II’.
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What’s the story of ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2?
Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us.’ Photo: Warner Media.
‘The Last of Us’ takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, played by Pascal, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
Producers/Showrunners Craig Mazin (‘Chernobyl’) and Neil Druckmann (creator of the original game) have yet to detail exactly what the new season will cover.
The first season of ‘The Last of Us’ covered much of games ‘The Last of Us Part I’ and ‘The Last of Us: Left Behind’, which means it is likely that Season 2 will cover at least part of ‘The Last of Us Part II’. There is also potential for it to cover some of the time between Part I and Part II, as there is a five-year time jump in the video game. Ellie, 14 in Part I and Left Behind, is 19 in Part II, and she and Joel have been living in Jackson since they left the Fireflies in Salt Lake City.
Mazin has said that because of its size, Season Two will only adapt part of the second game.
Who is Isaac in the world of ‘The Last of Us’?
Wright’s Isaac in the game is the quietly powerful leader of a large militia group, known as the Washington Liberation Front, who sought liberty but instead has become mired in an endless war against a surprisingly resourceful enemy.
Wright is the second actor to reprise his own voice role, after Merle Dandridge did the same for her character Marlene in Season 1.
When will ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 be on screens?
HBO has yet to indicate when the show will return, but given the production schedule and heavy effects load, the company has already warned fans not to expect the new season before 2025.
Kaitlyn Dever is playing Abby in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2.
The character is a controversial one for fans of the game.
‘The Last of Us’ will be back on HBO in 2025.
‘The Last of Us’ has been enjoying plenty of kudos in the last couple of months, picking up various awards (including some Emmys this past weekend). And with good reason: it was one of the best shows of 2023.
While it won’t be back for at least another year, there is an exciting update as ‘Booksmart’ and ‘Dopesick’ star Kaitlyn Dever (who also appeared in last year’s quirky alien invasion thriller ‘No One Will Save You’) is on board to play Abby.
Portrayed by Laura Bailey, Abigail “Abby” Anderson is the playable dual protagonist of ‘The Last of Us Part II’ and a playable character in the No Return mode. And we won’t say more about her than that, other than to warn that her appearance and actions in the game are very controversial among players.
HBO’s announcement offers that she’s a skilled soldier whose black-and-white view of the world is challenged as she seeks vengeance for those she loved.
What’s the story of ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2?
(L to R) Bella Ramsey, and Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us.’ Photo: Warner Media.
Producers/Showrunners Craig Mazin (‘Chernobyl’) and Neil Druckmann (creator of the original game) have yet to detail exactly what the new season will cover.
The first season of ‘The Last of Us’ covered much of games ‘The Last of Us Part I’ and ‘The Last of Us: Left Behind’, which means it is likely that Season 2 will cover at least part of ‘The Last of Us Part II’. There is also potential for it to cover some of the time between Part I and Part II, as there is a five-year time jump in the video game. Ellie, 14 in Part I and Left Behind, is 19 in Part II, and she and Joel have been living in Jackson since they left the Fireflies in Salt Lake City.
Mazin has said that because of its size, Season Two will only adapt part of the second game.
What have the producers said about Dever’s casting?
Here’s Mazin and Druckmann’s statement on the new addition:
“Our casting process for season two has been identical to season one: we look for world-class actors who embody the souls of the characters in the source material. Nothing matters more than talent, and we’re thrilled to have an acclaimed performer like Kaitlyn join Pedro, Bella and the rest of our family.”
Season 2 is scheduled to start shooting in Vancouver this month.
When will ‘The Last of Us’ be back on screens?
Though HBO has not specified a date, teasers have already touted its return in 2025.
Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us.’ Photo: Warner Media.
