With a heartbreaking time skip looming for the second season of The Last of Us on HBO, Bella Ramsey is preparing their body to take on a much bigger, more physical, and, presumably, far more violent role ahead of its premiere sometime next year.
HBO’s award-winning live action adaptation of The Last of Us will officially return for a second season in early 2025 as Ramsey reprises her role as Ellie alongside Pedro Pascal’s Joel Miller. But, as any video game fan will tell you, Joel takes a backseat in the second game, which will serve as the basis for the plot of the second season (and beyond). Although the showrunners, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, have taken creative liberties with the material, the general structure has followed a similar path. Thus, with Season 2 set to feature an older and more mature Ellie, the 20-year-old Game of Thrones star is making sure that their body is up for the task.
With only weeks to go before the alleged February 2024 production window for The Last of Us Season 2 kicks off, the footage of Ramsey training ahead of filming has begun circulating online.
Bella Ramsey training for THE LAST OF US Season 2 💪👀 pic.twitter.com/64KM9VNEwg
— The Last of Us News (@TheLastofUsNews) January 7, 2024
One of the main differences between the first and second The Last of Us games is the latter’s emphasis on physical violence and gore. This sometimes uneasy highlighting of what others have described as “needless brutality” was part of the reason for the game’s controversial nature, especially when it first came out. Adapting it to the small screen will, thus, be tricky, and should generate similar conversation. At the very least, Ramsey’s training should prepare their body for their more physically taxing role.
It’s crazy to think that Ramsey’s return as Ellie wasn’t always guaranteed. As the events of The Last of Us Season 2 will likely take place five years after Season 1, Ellie will be between 15-19 years old by then. While Ramsey played the role of teenage Ellie to perfection, silencing critics, aging them up might be challenging. It’s safe to say, however, that between bulking up, proper use of clothing, and makeup, Ramsey will look more like her actual age in Season 2, reflecting how old Ellie will be throughout the events of The Last of Us part 2.
Mazin previously emphasized Bella Ramsey’s role and significance in The Last of Us Season 2, saying that he, alongside Druckmann, and Ramsey, are all working closely together to make it “its own thing.”
With Season 1 showing us glimpses of Ellie’s propensity for violence, her evolution towards becoming a hardened killer, fueled by vengeance, should be on full display in The Last of Us Season 2.
The bigger question now is, who’s going to play their rival? Abby, whose muscles are bursting on the seams, has yet to be officially cast, although a similarly diminutive actress appears to be the frontrunner to play the WLF gym’s bench press record holder.
As fans wait for more news surrounding The Last of Us Season 2, Sony and Naughty Dog have a surprise in store with The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered coming out on PlayStation 5 on January 19. The game will feature a “No Return” mode that, as per one of the developers, will make for quite the stressful experience.
