How The Last Of Us Season 2 Will Still Surprise People Who Think They Already Know The Story

The Last of Usseason 2 adapts Naughty Dog’s smash hit video game The Last of Us Part II, which means it will bring some of the series’ most intense and discussed moments to life–though not without some surprises. Although The Last of Us game director Neil Druckmann has been heavily involved in the series, co-writing episodes, shaping seasons, and even directing actors, Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin brought a wealth of film and TV industry knowledge to make the adaptation a seamless one. And Mazin has teased that the new season may not go as people familiar with the games expect.

The Last of Us season 2 cast is still anchored by Bella Ramsey’s Ellie, but has been joined by a number of newcomers to bring the expanded story to life. Isabela Merced (Alien: Romulus) plays Dina and Young Mazino (Beef) plays Jesse, two characters around Ellie’s age who live in the same Wyoming settlement with Pedro Pascal’s Joel. In the recently released The Last of Us season 2 trailer, a romance is also shown between Dina and Ellie, which is likely doomed to be tested in the post-apocalypse.

ScreenRant’s Liam Crowley interviewed Craig Mazin, Bella Ramsey, Isabela Merced, and Young Mazino at South by Southwest 2025 about The Last of Us season 2. They discuss changing elements of Naughty Dog’s incredibly well-reviewed The Last of Us Part IIto better suit the needs of television, and what the show’s key characters might be going through this time around. Plus, Merced and Ramsey discussed the importance of Bella and Dina’s relationship.

“They Think They Do”: Craig Mazin Responds To People Who Already Know The Story

“You Probably Should Expect The Unexpected”

The Last of Us season 1 was widely regarded as an incredibly successful video game adaptation, both in how it directly translated some game moments and changed others. “They think they do,” showrunner Craig Mazin said when asked about people who have an idea of where the story is going. “We adapt the way we adapted season one,” Mazin continued, which is, “we look at the story, we pull things that we know we want to be exactly the same.”

We love this, but it’s worth expanding on or changing to fit the new medium.

Then, Mazin said, “There are things where we think, ‘We love this, but it’s worth expanding on or changing to fit the new medium’, and there are things that we think actually wouldn’t translate well.” The showrunner had a message to those familiar with the game as well: “I think you probably should expect the unexpected. We won’t always do the things you think we’re going to do. Sometimes we do the things you thought we were going to do in a different way, at a different time.”

“All I can say,” Mazin finished, “is that if you give us your trust, by the time we get to the end of the season, I think you’ll be happy.”

Bella Ramsey Teases Tension Between Ellie & Joel In Season 2

Trust Issues Incoming For The Last Of Us Fans' Favorite Duo

Bella Ramsey as Ellie and Pedro Pascal as Joel looking concerned in The Last of Us

“Definitely some trust issues developed,” Bella Ramsey began when asked about the Joel/Ellie relationship in season 2. “[They’re] in a very different place than we’re used to them being like with each other. You get to know why that is, and that gets explored.” Ellie is also a different person from when audiences last saw her, said Ramsey: “Ellie’s 19 when we meet her this season. She was 14 in the last one, so she’s done a lot of growing up in her teenage years.”

Isabela Merced & Young Mazino Talk Dina & Jesse In The Last Of Us Season II

Merced Discusses Her Character’s Relationship With Ellie One That “Mirrored Real Life In A Way”

Dina (Isabela Merced) holding a flashlight in The Last of Us Season 2.

Dina is a hugely important companion to Ellie in The Last of Us Part II, and it seems like the relationship will matter equally in the show. Merced reflected on her journey on- and off-screen in terms of that relationship: “It kind of mirrored real life, in a way. I felt really lucky to have Bella, and I think Ellie’s really lucky to have Dina–like a ride or die, somebody who’s willing to fight, somebody she’s going to suffer with after nine months in the cold, and [with] all the weather and stuff.”

Pedro Pascal as Joel in The Last of Us Season 2 Teaser looking offscreen

The Last Of Us Season 2 Trailer Reveals New Infected Variant & Massive Story Changes

The new Last of Us season 2 trailer implies Ellie (Bella Ramsey) learns the deadly secret that Joel (Pedro Pascal) has been keeping from her.

Posts3

“It was by no means glamorous at all,” Merced reflected about filming her Dina scenes, “but we had a really fun time making the most out of the dark situations we were put in, and I think that’s exactly what our dynamic is. Art really does imitate life sometimes.”

When asked if his character Jesse was selfless to his own detriment, Young Mazino replied with a quick, “Definitely.” He continued: “Jesse is a pillar of his community. I don’t think he wants to be selfless, but he knows that that’s what you need in order to survive in that kind of environment.” With shots in the trailer of Jesse holding a gun and looking ready for action, it makes sense for Young to end with, “He does what needs to be done.”

The Last of Us season 2 premieres April 13 on HBO.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Check out our other SXSW 2025 interviews here: