Neil Druckmann, the co-showrunner of the HBO television series The Last of Us, has shared an image to his social media account that teases a key and much-hated character from the original video game series the show is adapted from.
Druckmann's recent social media post shows an arm holding tightly onto a hammer against an apocalyptic backdrop. The arm’s musculature is reminiscent of Abby, a character that is central to The Last of Us Part II, which will provide the material for The Last of Us season 2 and beyond.
No TLoU on HBO tonight. But Season 2 is already on its way! Endure & survive! pic.twitter.com/87bKKCDBeO
— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) March 19, 2023
Druckmann, who co-created The Last of Us game series, is currently working on future seasons of the live-action adaptation along with Craig Mazin. HBO renewed the show for multiple seasons following an impressive debut.
The first season of The Last of Us was mostly faithful to the source material, albeit with much-needed creative liberties that made it its own thing. Mazin and Druckmann have promised that the second season will follow a similar trend.
Abby plays a central role to the story and staying faithful to the source material more or less confirms that the character will appear as soon as the second season kicks off.
The show’s production team hasn’t announced any cast for the show’s second season, Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are expected to reprise their roles as Joel and Ellie respectively, although some believe they've already cast Abby.
The second season will feature a time jump which should ordinarily disqualify Ramsey. However, she is around the same age as Ellie is going to be in the show’s second season and, with the right makeup and wardrobe, should have no problem continuing with the character.
According to Ramsey, The Last of Us season 2 will begin filming either later this year or early next year and, as a result, will not be ready for release until late 2024 or early 2025.
In the meantime, fans can look forward to playing The Last of Us Part 1 on the PS5 and the PC. Some are hoping that The Last of Us Part II gets a proper PS5 update and a PC port between now and the release of Season 2 of the show.
