(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.
Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Preview:
The strong hatred towards The Last Of Us Season 2 is unnecessary
Changes made from The Last Of Us Part II are minor and always enhance the storytelling
The Last Of Us Season 3 will focus on Abby’s journey and introduce key characters that fans are worried will not be included
Spoiler Alert: Spoilers for ‘The Last Of Us’ Season 2 below.
‘The Last Of Us‘ season one was a massive hit with both critics and audiences, but Season two, unfortunately, cannot say the same. While the Rotten Tomatoes score for both seasons remains similar (in the nineties) for critics, the audience score has dropped from eighty-six percent to thirty-eight percent. Viewers have not been afraid to go to the internet and express their hatred for this latest season, which is completely unwarranted.
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As with any adaptation, there are changes from ‘The Last Of Us Part II’ video game. This is often done to expand on the storytelling and allow for things to play out better for a viewing audience versus a gaming audience.
The devastating death of Joel (Pedro Pascal) caused an uproar among video game players as well. Some went so far as to stop playing the game before finishing it, so it was not a complete surprise that viewers felt this way as well. That said, season two is not nearly as bad as people act like it is. While there are some minor changes, they only enhance the viewing experience and set up what is sure to be a fantastic season three.
MovieFone breaks down the most significant changes that are incorporated into ‘The Last Of Us’ Season 2, and why they make the story even better.
Kaitlyn Dever in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
While Abby’s backstory is revealed at the very beginning of ‘The Last Of Us’ Season two, players do not discover who her father is until much later in the game. As the creators of the series have explained in detail, doing it this way makes much more sense for an audience.
If everyone watching was kept in the dark about why Abby is doing these horrible things, it would be almost impossible to connect with her on a human level. In the game, you are forced to play her, which is when that bond is formed. In the show, you need to understand her motives in order to fully understand where things are going.
An Infected Horde Attacks Jackson
Gabriel Luna in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
The infected attacking Jackson is easily one of the best parts of the season. It comes in episode two, which is already a highly emotional episode, and adds much higher stakes. The different patrol pairings, Dina going with Joel and Ellie going with Jesse, mean that viewers get to see Dina and Joel’s bond rather than just hear about it, as they do in the game.
At first, there was some concern that key moments between Ellie and Dina would be missing because of this, but the series makes up for it later in the game. Having the attack on Jackson forces Tommy to stay behind and help manage repairs, rather than go off after Abby immediately, as he does in ‘The Last Of Us Part II’. He remains a part of the story, however, as Jesse and Tommy decide to go after Ellie and Dina and end up saving them from likely death.
The Addition Of Gail, Played By Catherine O’Hara
Catherine O’Hara in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Catherine O’Hara is a great actress, so bringing her into any project is a good decision. She plays a therapist named Gail, who is there to help viewers learn more about what certain characters are thinking. Again, when you are playing them in a game, you grow closer to them and feel that you understand them inside and out. That is more difficult to accomplish in a series if you are not laying it all out on the table.
Not only does the addition of Gail let viewers know what is going on inside Joel, Tommy, and Ellie’s heads, but it also gives more meaning to Eugene. He is only mentioned in passing in the game, but has a key role in the series, as his death is what makes Ellie realize that her suspicions about what Joel did to the Fireflies at the hospital were right.
While the actual confrontation does not happen until later, Joel lying and saying he would not kill Eugene until he could say goodbye to Gail, but then doing it anyway, proved to her that he will lie when push comes to shove.
Joel & Tommy’s Backstory Adds More Emotion To Why Joel Did What He Did
Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
The video game does not offer up any details about Joel and Tommy’s upbringing, so including the scene of a young Joel with Tommy and his father at the beginning of ‘The Last Of Us’ Season 2 Episode 6 is a welcome change. It is here that we learn their father abused them, but that he was slightly better than his own father, who once broke his jaw.
The added generational trauma, and the fact that Joel is trying hard to break the cycle himself with Ellie, makes the story that much more emotional, especially when it comes to the heart-to-heart they have on the porch, which is another sequence that was changed for the better.
Not only is this revelation at the end of the game, but Joel never says “I love you” to Ellie. This is still the last time they talk to one another before his death, but in the game version, this was a conversation about forgiveness, as Ellie has known what Joel really did for months at this point in the game.
Joel getting to express his feelings adds a bit of closure that the game did not have. We all know that he thinks of Ellie as a daughter, but for her to be able to hear that from him is satisfying and one of the best changes that was made.
The Scars Almost Kill Abby, Not Ellie, In The Game
Kaitlyn Dever in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
Anyone who is worried that Abby’s encounter with the Scars is not going to happen because Ellie was almost killed on Scar Island can put their minds at ease. If you look closely at Abby in the theater scene at the end of ‘The Last Of Us’ Season 2, you can see a bruise on her neck.
Without getting into spoilers, there are key characters that come into play during this part of Abby’s story, which we are sure to see play out in Season 3 as we follow what she has been up to those three days in Seattle.
‘The Last Of Us’ Season 1 and Season 2 are currently streaming on HBO Max. The third season has been greenlit, but does not currently have a release date.
(L to R) Isabela Merced and Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2. Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO.
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.
(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.
(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.
Emma Stone, Pedro Pascal and more have joined Ari Aster’s ‘Eddington’
The movie reunites Aster with his ‘Beau is Afraid’ star Joaquin Phoenix.
Austin Butler, Clifton Collins Jr., Luke Grimes and Micheal Ward are all aboard.
Given how strange, divisive and –– probably most crucially –– unsuccessful at the box office ($11.9 million worldwide gross on a $35 million budget) Ari Aster’s ‘Beau is Afraid’ proved to be last year, you might suspect that Aster would be languishing in the darkest depths of director jail.
And yet studio A24, which produced ‘Beau’, is clearly ready to believe in his vision again, and the fate of that movie did not detract from Aster’s ability to attract solid talent, as he’s got an excellent cast lined up for his new movie.
‘Eddington’, which has cameras now rolling, will feature recent Oscar winner (for the second time) Emma Stone, ‘The Last of Us’ Pedro Pascal and Joaquin Phoenix, who reunites with the director after starring as ‘Beau’s twitchy protagonist.
(L to R) Joaquin Phoenix and director Ari Aster on the set of ‘Beau Is Afraid.’
As is his way, Aster –– who also brought us the nightmarish visions of ‘Hereditary’ and ‘Midsommar’ –– is keeping much of the detail close for now.
But with a script once more by the director, ‘Eddington’ reportedly focuses on a small-town New Mexico sheriff with lofty aspirations. And it’ll be in the Western genre, as confirmed by A24’s Instagram post on the start of production.
Behind the camera, Aster has legendary cinematographer Darius Khondji ready to shoot whatever warped concepts he’s cooked up this time.
Stone, of course, is no stranger to offbeat directors, having seen success (including that second Oscar, for her role in ‘Poor Things’) working with Yorgos Lanthimos, with whom she has another movie, ‘Kinds of Kindness’ due this year.
When will ‘Eddington’ be in theaters?
A24 has yet to announce when Aster’s latest movie will make it to theaters. ‘Beau’ took a couple of years from filming to hit screens, but with luck the director will have this one ready for next year.
Joaquin Phoenix in director Ari Aster’s ‘Beau Is Afraid.’
Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans are starring in ‘Materialists’.
This is the new movie from ‘Past Lives’ director Celine Song.
It’ll be a New York-set rom-com.
It’s fair to say that with ‘Past Lives’, Korean writer/director Celine Song has announced herself as a new cinematic voice.
Her romantic drama feature debut, which stars Greta Lee, Teo Woo and John Magaro, first garnered attention at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, where its quietly powerful story of old friends and potential lovers reconnecting hit a chord.
It has since gone on to win numerous awards and dominate critics’ Best Of lists for the year and is in the running for two Oscars –– Original Screenplay and Best Picture.
You can imagine, then, that big-name talent would be beating down the down to work with her, and for the director’s next film, ‘Materialists’, she’s scored quite the potential cast in Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, who are all in talks to star.
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What’s the story of ‘Materialists’?
Here’s the official synopsis for the new movie:
“Set against the vibrant backdrop of New York City, a city that never sleeps and is known for its diverse and dynamic relationships, ‘Materialists’ provides a unique glimpse into the lives of the city’s elite. Lucy’s expertise in matchmaking is highly sought after by those willing to pay a premium for her services. However, with a broke actor-waiter in her romantic past and a new attachment to a wealthy man, all signs point to a toxic love triangle that threatens to unravel the lives of all involved.”
According to the director, the new movie is inspired by the sort of spiky romantic comedies such as ‘Broadcast News’ that James L. Brooks specializes in, which makes us even more eager to see what Song could do with a film like this.
Who is backing Song’s new movie?
(L to R) Greta Lee and Teo Yoo in ‘Past Lives.’ Photo: A24.
The new movie reteams the director with distributors A24 and with producers Killer Films, both of which shepherded ‘Past Lives’ to screens.
On limited release in theaters on Friday February 2nd before landing on Hulu February 9th, ‘Suncoast’ is the feature directorial debut of Laura Chinn, who has largely worked as an actor and writer/showrunner before.
Her film is partly based on a painful real-life experience, wherein her brother Max, was moved into the same hospice as controversial patient Terri Schiavo in 2005. Chinn uses the religious and ethical storm around Schiavo’s treatment, which forms one branch of the story here, though the focus is on the turbulent emotions of the main characters.
Unfortunately, despite its deeply personal roots, ‘Suncoast’ somewhat has the feel of an after school special (or, at times, one of those “issues” plays put on by amateur troupes to teach kids about drugs or bullying).
Though the cast do what they can with the material (and at least one needs the full force of his charisma to power through an underwritten role) but the whole feels like a disappointment.
While Chinn is bringing obvious personal power to the screenplay, the result is somewhat less than the sum of its parts. Characters are largely pressured into easy archetypes, with main character Doris a fairly standard, sullen teen who longs to have a normal life. Though there is a rich seam of material to explore in her frustration at her mother’s negligence when it comes to anything but her comatose brother.
The character of her mother, meanwhile, is a bundle of raw nerves, grieving a loss that has yet to happen while firmly denying the concept and putting all of her energy into making her son’s last days as comfortable as possible. It’s a noble effort for sure, but it does make the character uncomfortably unsympathetic at times, in a way that the movie doesn’t always recover from.
Outside of the central pair, we have the character of Paul, one of the protestors at the hospice who is on a Christian pro-life crusade for the effectively braindead Terry Schiavo. On a purely script front, he’s less a person than a walking expression of believes and a debate point for the writer/director.
And then we have the teenage friends that the withdrawn Doris finally starts to make, but for all their basic realism, they could also come out of teen rebellion drama 101, a collection of lust/party obsessed kids who really only start hanging out with Doris when she offers the empty family home when her mother starts sleeping at the hospice.
Chinn as a director also keeps things fairly basic. It’s not surprising to learn that the movie premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, as this is the epitome of 1990s Sundance drama in its composition and straightforward shooting. Though eschewing flashy visuals works to keep the story at the forefront, it can truly come across as a parody of an indie movie.
With the script only doing so much work, it’s up to the cast to carry the load, and it is to Chinn’s advantage that she has cast some excellent performers who know how to handle this kind of story.
Laura Linney plays Christine, the mother of Doris and her ailing brother Max, and she brings the expected level of depth and anguish to the character of someone facing the death of one child while effectively treating the other as a nursing assistant more than a daughter. Linney makes Christine’s emotional trauma function, though even she can’t always get out of the narrative corners the script puts her in. At least until the usual emotional revelations arrive, which have less power because you see them coming for a while.
As Doris, her daughter, Nico Parker (who made her debut in Tim Burton’s live-action ‘Dumbo’ before appearing in ‘Reminiscence’ and TV’s ‘The Last of Us’) is also charged with wriggling her way out of the strictures of her character. She’s appropriately withdrawn, and never less than real (especially when seen beside the other teens in the movie) but the role sometimes defeats even her ability to carry it.
Woody Harrelson has a much smaller role as Paul, the protestor who strikes up a friendship with Doris. He’s burdened with a somewhat predictable grief backstory and despite his role effectively being a walking polemic at times, Harrelson does finds moments of charm, such as when he teaches Doris to drive (an ongoing subplot is Christine refusing to let the learner’s-permitted teen take the wheel, but we bet you can guess what forms part of the family rapprochement at the end.
Paul has little to do besides befriending Doris and occasionally being seen at the protest marches, and for all of his warmth in the part, it feels beneath Harrelson.
Finally, we have the likes of Daniella Taylor, Ella Anderson and Amarr as three of the school friends that Doris latches on to when they actually take notice of her. They do their best, but the trio is such a collection of cliches, they’re more likely to annoy than entertain.
At one hour and 49 minutes, ‘Suncoast’ sometimes feels like a slog, and not just because of the heavy emotions that weigh it down. There are ways to carry such burdens, but the movie never quite figures out how to do it, despite a talented cast.
It’s a real shame since Chinn was clearly working from a heartfelt place. But as we’ve seen before, not every impactful life event can land successfully as a movie.
‘Suncoast’ receives 5 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the story of ‘Suncoast’?
‘Suncoast’ is inspired by the semi-autobiographical story of a teenager named Doris (Nico Parker), who, while caring for her brother along with her audacious mother (Laura Linney), strikes up an unlikely friendship with an eccentric activist (Woody Harrelson) who is protesting one of the most landmark medical cases of all time.
Who else is in ‘Suncoast’?
The new drama’s cast also includes Ella Anderson, Daniella Taylor, Amarr and Ariel Martin.
The 75th Emmy Awards ceremony was broadcast Monday night.
‘Succession’, ‘Beef’ and ‘The Bear’ scooped a lot of awards.
The show also brought out casts from veteran series.
While there have been a number of award ceremonies (the Directors Guild, the Critics Choice Association) that feature television among their trophies, Monday night was the big one for TV –– the 75th Emmys. Delayed from September last year (so these are technically the 2023 Emmys), they were finally handed out Monday night.
In the lead up to the award, there were questions as to whether there would be a lot of repeat winners, including ‘Ted Lasso’, which has done well in recent years, and whether that, along with ‘Succession’, would benefit from voters looking to reward them for their final seasons (neither show, let’s be honest has needed it, but the fact remains).
‘Succession’ once again dominated, along with ‘Beef’ (in limited series categories) and ‘The Bear’, the three shows winning multiple awards, to no-one’s surprise.
Anthony Anderson proved to be an engaged and entertaining host, kicking things off with a tribute to the television he loved growing up and popping up to move things along from time to time (at one point donning an ‘American Horror Story’ gimp suit), with his mother, Doris, acting as a human alternative to play off music (also used judiciously so the joke never wore thin).
Aside from the awards, the show looked to generate buzz by reuniting the casts of some classic and iconic shows including ‘Cheers’, ‘Game of Thrones’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, the latter an odd once since it’s still on the air (but everyone still thinks of the original lineup).
Those were much more of a mixed bag –– the ‘Cheers’ gang were game and warm, but does it really count as a ‘Game of Thrones’ reunion when it’s just Peter Dinklage?
(L to R) Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans, Brian Cox as Logan Roy, and Nicholas Braun as Greg Hirsch on HBO’s ‘Succession.’ Photograph by Macall B. Polay/HBO.
Beau Willimon (‘Andor’)
Sharon Horgan, Dave Finkel, Brett Baer (‘Bad Sisters’)
Outstanding Writing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie
(L to R) Lee Sung Jin, Ali Wong and Steven Yeun attend Netflix’s Los Angeles premiere of ‘BEEF’ at Netflix Tudum Theater on March 30, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix.
Outstanding Directing For A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie
(L to R) Lee Sung Jin, Ali Wong and Steven Yeun attend Netflix’s Los Angeles premiere of ‘BEEF’ at Netflix Tudum Theater on March 30, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix.
Lee Sung Jin (‘Beef’)
Jake Schreier (‘Beef’)
Carl Franklin (‘Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’)
Paris Barclay (‘Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story’)
