HBO has unveiled first-look images of The Last of Us season 2, showing Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey back in action in the moody post-apocalyptic drama.

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Based on the PlayStation video game of the same name, the show imagines a world where society has crumbled and masses have been wiped out by a fungal infection that transforms hosts into rabid zombie-like creatures.

In the first season, jaded loner Joel (Pascal) was tasked with transporting Ellie (Ramsey), a young girl who may hold the secret to immunity, across the country so that her blood could be examined.

The second season will be based on the sequel video game, released in 2020, which takes place five years after the events of the original, starting with a relatively settled Joel and Ellie in Wyoming.

However, trouble comes for them once again when they cross paths with Abby (Dopesick star Kaitlyn Dever), a soldier with a personal vendetta against Joel.

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Above, we see Pascal back as Joel, sporting longer hair and a groomed look that perhaps reflects the quieter years he has enjoyed after fighting for survival for so long.

Below, Ramsey returns as Ellie, wearing a thick winter coat and holding a shotgun as she examines something carefully in the distance – the question is: who or what could it be?

Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in The Last of Us season 2, wearing a thick coat and holding a shotgun
Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in The Last of Us season 2. HBO

Some have noted that Ellie does not appear to have noticeably aged as she does in The Last of Us: Part II video game, but efforts to make Ramsey look older may be more pronounced in other scenes.

While five years separates the events of the two stories, there was only a two-and-a-half year gap between the start of shooting on season 1 (July 2021) and season 2 (February 2024).

The upcoming episodes are expected to complete filming in late August, but no premiere date has been set just yet – although it would be safe to assume it will be sometime in 2025.

The Last of Us is available on Sky and NOW. Get one month free Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix.

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