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The Last of Us is preparing for its next chapter — but without one of its most important creators. Following news that Naughty Dog studio head and The Last of Us game creator Neil Druckmann is stepping away from the HBO adaptation ahead of Season 3, Casey Bloys, Chairman/CEO of HBO and Max content, has officially weighed in on the decision and what it means for the future of the Emmy-winning series. Speaking with Variety during a celebratory round of interviews following HBO and Max’s record-breaking 142 Emmy nominations, Bloys addressed the elephant in the room: Druckmann’s departure.

"Obviously it was great to have Neil involved in the beginning. The whole reason that I wanted to do Last of Us is after Chernobyl, I said to Craig [Mazin], ‘What do you want to do next?’ And Last of Us was what he wanted to do. That’s what was most important...

Emmy voters are still infected with The Last of Us, rewarding the zombified series with 16 nominations on Tuesday, including Best Drama Series. Notably, Season 2 of HBO's adaptation of the popular video-game series didn't get everything for which it submitted, and there are three notable snubs that are causing an uproar on social media: supporting actress Isabela Merced, and the standout episode "Through The Valley" in both directing and writing.

Here are the categories The Last of Us got into — and missed.

Best Drama Series: Nominated

It was never a question whether the fungal apocalypse drama would receive a series bid, since Season 1 scored 24 nominations and won eight trophies in 2023. The Last of Us ended up placing fourth in Gold Derby's Best Drama Series predictions by the time the nominations were announced. It finds itself nominated alongside Andor, The Diplomat, Paradise, The Pitt, Severance, Slow Horses, and The White Lotus.

Best...

The 2025 Emmy nominations delivered meaningful gains in representation across race, gender and identity, with a few concerning declines.

A total of 94 actors were recognized in the main acting categories — lead, supporting and guest. Of those 24 are Poc, a decline from the past five years. In 2024, 30 were performers of color, making up 31% of the nominees, which was an increase from 2023 and 2021, though it fell short of the 2022 peak, when 42 of 108 nominees (39%) were people of color, the most in Emmys history. Look at the last decade of numbers to see how this year compares:

“Abbott Elementary” creator, executive producer and star Quinta Brunson continues her historic Emmy run for hit ABC mockumentary. After becoming the first solo Black woman to win for comedy writing in 2022, and the second Black woman to win lead comedy actress in 2023, she now ties Stefani Robinson (“Atlanta” and “What We Do in the Shadows”) for the most...

“Opus”, the new live-action horror feature, written and directed by Mark Anthony Green, stars Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, Rosario Dawson, Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Amber Midthunder, Young Mazino, Stephanie Suganami and Tony Hale, streaming July 11, 2025 on HBO Max:

“…a young writer is invited to the remote compound of a legendary pop star who mysteriously disappeared 30 years ago.

“Surrounded by the star’s cult of sycophants and intoxicated journalists…

“..she finds herself in the middle of his twisted plan…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

It's the day of the long knives at The Last of Us—and this time, it’s not just Neil Druckmann stepping back as Halley Gross, who previously worked on Westworld and co-wrote The Last of Us Part II alongside Druckmann, has now confirmed she won’t be returning to the HBO adaptation as it heads into Season 3. Gross, a key figure in the series from the very beginning, joined Druckmann in announcing her departure.

With great care and consideration, I've decided to take a step back from my day-to-day work on HBO's The Last of Us to make space for what comes next. I'm so appreciative of how special this experience has been. Working alongside Neil, Craig, HBO, and this remarkable cast and crew has been life changing. The stories we told - about love, loss, and what it means to be human in a terrifying world are exactly why I love this franchise.

The Last of Ushas been hit with a shocking blow after what was a rocky and divisive second season. The Ankler is reporting that Neil Druckmann, the main creative force behind the game and one of the showrunners on the television adaptation, is stepping back from the third and fourth seasons of HBO's hit series in order to focus on the newest game being developed at Naughty Dog. Druckmann soon after issued a statement announcing his decision to step back from the creative involvement of the series.

"I've made the difficult decision to step away from my creative involvement in The Last of Us on HBO. With work completed on season 2 and before any meaningful work starts on season 3, now is the right time for me to transition my complete focus to Naughty Dog and its future projects, including writing and directing our exciting next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet,...

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HBO Max is a little light in terms of content in the upcoming month, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing to watch, as Sinner will be making its much-anticipated streaming release in July. Just like every month, Max is ready to overload you with great content. So, we’re here to tell you about the 5 new movies coming to HBO Max in July 2025.

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League (July 3) Credit – Warner Bros. Pictures

Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League is a Japanese superhero action film co-directed by Junpei Mizusaki and Shinji Takagi. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the 2025 film follows Batman and his allies as they team up to fight against a group of superpowered people known as the Yakuza League. Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League’s English voice cast includes Joe Daniels, Houston Hayes,...

“Opus”, the new live-action horror feature, written and directed by Mark Anthony Green, stars Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, Rosario Dawson, Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Amber Midthunder, Young Mazino, Stephanie Suganami and Tony Hale, streaming July 11, 2025 on HBO Max:

“…a young writer is invited to the remote compound of a legendary pop star who mysteriously disappeared 30 years ago.

“Surrounded by the star’s cult of sycophants and intoxicated journalists…

“..she finds herself in the middle of his twisted plan…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Warner Bros. Discovery has announced the movies, TV shows, and live sports that will be available on the Max (soon to be called HBO Max) streaming service in July. The Max July 2025 lineup includes the feature films Sinners, A24’s On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, Opus, and Death of a Unicorn, and Utopia’s I Love You Forever.

The schedule includes the HBO Original documentaries Billy Joel: And So It Goes and Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print, as well as the HBO Original series Rage. You can also catch Shark Week beginning on July 20.

Sinners Featured Programming

Films

Sinners (Warner Bros. Film)

Debuts July 4

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back. The cast includes Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku,...

The only time there’s been a good Street Fighter project has been the animated movies. The cartoon TV series was mediocre at best, and Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li was lacking. The 1994 film is fun, and Raúl Juliá was great. However, no one is watching that project for “absolute cinema.” Thankfully, the trend of unwatchable Street Fighter movies could come to an end.

Halo, Super Mario Bros, and The Last of Us proved that video game movies and shows can be good. All that’s needed is the right creative team and cast. Roman Reigns and Jason Momoa being rumored is a step in the right direction. Now all that’s needed are the characters to be properly cast. Here’s who should be picked to make sure this movie is a success.

Roman Reigns as M. Bison

Roman Reigns became one of the greatest professional wrestlers...

HBO Max has set premiere dates for two of A24‘s recent genre films, Opus and Death of a Unicorn.

Opus streams July 11 and debuts on HBO linear on July 12 at 8pm Et, while Death of a Unicorn streams July 25 and hits HBO on July 26 at 8pm Et.

In Opus, a young writer is invited to the remote compound of a legendary pop star who mysteriously disappeared 30 years ago. Surrounded by the star’s cult of sycophants and intoxicated journalists, she finds herself in the middle of his twisted plan.

The satirical horror-thriller marks the feature debut of writer-director Mark Anthony Green.

Ayo Edebiri and John Malkovich star with Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Amber Midthunder, Young Mazino, Stephanie Suganami, Tatanka Means, and Tony Hale.

Meagan Navarro wrote in her review, “Opus is at its best when it’s a campy satire of pop culture, led by two powerhouse performances, but...

A24 has set Max premiere dates for its recent films On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, Opus, and Death of a Unicorn.

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl will hit streaming on Friday, July 4, making its linear debut on HBO on Monday, July 7 at 8:00 p.m. Et. Opus streams Friday, July 11 and debuts on linear on Saturday, July 12 at 8:00 p.m. Et. Death of a Unicorn, meanwhile, makes its way to Max on Friday, July 25 and hits HBO on Saturday, July 26 at 8:00 p.m. Et.

Written and directed by Rungano Nyoni, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl takes us to an empty road in the middle of the night, where Shula stumbles across the body of her uncle. As funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light the buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family. Opening in the Un Certain Regard section of last year’s Cannes Film Festival,...

There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to The Last of UsSeason 2 — and not all of it has gone over smoothly. But one line in particular has become a lightning rod for criticism: Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) now-infamous “I’m going to be a dad” moment. A tonal shift that left longtime fans scratching their heads (and making memes), the line has now been directly addressed by showrunner Craig Mazin, who offered a window into how the scene came to life… and why he’s standing by it.

The moment arrives early in the season, as Ellie and Dina (Isabela Merced) continue their post-apocalyptic journey. Dina has been throwing up regularly, which Ellie initially chalks up to trauma or stress — understandable, considering the brutality they’ve been facing. But when they stop at a pharmacy and Dina grabs a handful of expired pregnancy tests, the truth comes out:...

The Last of Us Season 2 may ultimately be best remembered for killing off Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal), but it will also be known as the season where Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced) fell in love, thanks in part to director Kate Herron. Helming the pivotal fourth installment, “Day One,” Herron brought to life Ellie and Dina’s arrival in Seattle as they sought revenge for Joel’s murder against Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and the Wlf, a rebel group they don’t realize is wrapped up in an all-out war with another extremist group known as the Seraphites. Along with hinting at the larger battle unfolding in the northwestern city, the episode draws friends Ellie and Dina closer, with the latter discovering her pregnancy by Jesse (Young Mazino), and Ellie grappling with her grief over Joel. The episode features pivotal moments plucked from the video game upon which the show is based,...

Forget Clickers — the real terror for The Last of Us fans is seeing their favorite episodes ranked low on best-of lists.

Based on the beloved video game, HBO's zombie apocalypse drama follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they struggle to survive in a world full of zombie-like creatures who were transformed after a mass fungal infection. To date, 16 episodes have aired — nine in Season 1 (2023) and seven in Season 2 (2025) — and a third season has been ordered. While most of the episodes wowed viewers, some had fans reaching for their remotes. Scroll through our gallery below to see The Last of Us episodes ranked worst to best.

Some of the human characters Joel and Ellie meet along the way include Tommy (Gabriel Luna), Joel's younger brother; Tess (Anna Torv), Joel's initial partner; Riley (Storm Reid), Ellie's childhood best friend; Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett), gay survivalists who...

The second annual Gold List has released its TV Honors ahead of the Emmys, honoring “the most exceptional achievements by Asian creatives in television this past year.”

Spotlighted titles this year include “Squid Game” for its second season helmed by Hwang Dong-hyuk and starring Lee Jung-jae, Hulu’s “Deli Boys” for creator Abdullah Saeed and actors Poorna Jagannathan and Saagar Shaikh, and performances from Dichen Lachman (“Severance”), Chase Sui Wonders (“The Studio”), Young Mazino (“The Last of Us”), Utkarsh Ambudkar (“Ghosts”), and Ken Leung (“Industry”). “Pachinko,” and many more. “The White Lotus” and “Interior Chinatown” actors made the Honorable Mentions, as did directors Andrew Ahn and Nisha Ganatra (“Deli Boys”), Arvin Chen and Sang-il Lee (“Pachinko”), and Wei-Ning Yu (“Severance”).

“From the nuanced characters we’re seeing portrayed across all genres to the visionary writers, directors, and artisans reshaping television behind the scenes, our Asian Pacific community is not just...

The second season of The Last of Us started with a bang when lead character Joel (Pedro Pascal) was murdered in front of his daughter Ellie (Bella Ramsey). Ellie spent the rest of the season trying to get revenge; she traveled to Seattle to hunt down Joel's killers, accompanied by her friend Dina (Isabela Merced).

Along the way, the two became more than friends. At one point, Dina learned she was pregnant by her ex-boyfriend Jesse (Young Mazino), and plans hasty plans were laid for the three of them to raise the child together. Realizing the life that could be in front of her, a smile creeps onto Ellie's face. "I'm gonna be a dad," she says.

That line inspired a bit of a firestorm online, with fans calling it cringe, bad, dumb and also gross. Speaking to Gamespot, showrunner Craig Mazin explained how the line came about. “Bella and...

Spoilers for The Last of Us ahead.The Last of Us Season 2 ended a few weeks ago, finishing a new chapter of what has become one of the most polarizing shows in modern television. But as controversial as things got during Season 2, it is still a wildly popular video game adaptation. Season 3 is a go, but showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have announced a major change for the future of the series.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the showrunners behind the HBO adaptation appeared at an Emmys FYC event alongside other members of the crew. During the event, they started teasing the attendees with major details about the upcoming Season 3. "It's more of a water season than a fire season," Druckmann said, and Mazin backed him up when addressing the narrative style of the horror series. However, fans of the show will face another major change. The Last of Us...

Making a television series can be a lot like surviving the apocalypse. Most of the time you're thrown together with a group of strangers and forced to overcome differences with the hopes of achieving something larger than yourself — maybe even forming a sort of family along the way.

And you shoot a flamethrower.

That's been Gabriel Luna's experience making The Last of Us, the massive HBO production that over the course of two seasons so far has turned its cast and crew into a community not dissimilar from the ragtag forces defending the walls of Jackson Hole, Wyo., from a horde of infected.

"It was very similar in the way that we kind of embraced each other off-screen and tried to build the fibers between the cast as quickly as we could," Luna told Gold Derby. "There were instances where people had kind of just met each other and...

The Last of Us season 2 ended on a massive cliffhanger, with Ellie (Bella Ramsey) staring down the barrel of a gun. We hear the shot that comes next, but don't see what happens to her. Instead, the scene shifts, putting us in the perspective of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), the young woman who just shot at Ellie and who brutally beat Ellie's foster father Joel (Pedro Pascal) to death with a golf club in the second episode of the season. The ending stinger of the season rewinds the clock to the day one of Ellie's blood-soaked rampage through Seattle, except this time, we're going to see it all through Abby's eyes.

This is also how the story progresses in The Last of Us: Part II video game, but before the second season of the show aired, we didn't know whether it would follow suit. The video game was highly controversial for its untraditional approach to structure,...

The Last of Us cast and crew poses for photos before an Emmys FYC panel to talk about the future of the series!

Appearing for the event on Monday (June 9) were some of the show’s stars, including Bella Ramsey, Young Mazino, Isabela Merced, and Gabriel Luna. Along with members of the cast, crew members like executive producer Neil Druckmann appeared to discuss the show.

Keep reading to find out more…

During one panel, creator Neil talked about his journey to get an adaptation of his video game franchise created. According to Neil, the show being picked up by HBO was definitely for the best. He said on the panel, “I think it was good to go on that journey to end up at HBO, end up at a place that leaned into those controversial decisions, I guess.”

Although she wasn’t at the panel, Kaitlyn Dever joined virtually to...

“The Last of Us” co-creator Neil Druckmann confirmed at Monday night’s FYC panel that Season 3 will focus on Kaitlyn Dever’s character, Abby.

While discussing the amount of creative freedom HBO grants the show, Druckmann said, “I can’t believe that they let us structure the series in this way, meaning like, we just ended Season 2, and Season 3 is going to be starring — spoiler alert — Kaitlyn.”

Season 2 ended with a switch in perspective from Bella Ramsey’s character, Ellie, to Abby.

Dever, who joined the panel virtually, also spoke about taking on the character of Abby, considering that she notably killed fan-favorite Joel (Pedro Pascal) at the start of Season 2. “I guess the controversy surrounding Abby was never really a concern for me, just given my first meeting with Craig and Neil and how wonderful they are and how talented they are,” she said.

“I’ve never felt so...

Editor’s note: Deadline’s It Starts on the Page (Drama) features standout drama series scripts in 2025 Emmy contention.

In adapting The Last of Us Part II game for HBO with fellow co-creator Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin knew he had to break one of the cardinal rules of television: Never kill your lead (especially not when they are a complex and utterly compelling character played by Pedro Pascal).

The Last of Us Season 2, which takes place about five years after the events of Season 1, puts a target on Joel’s (Pascal) back from the very beginning. The premiere opens by introducing audiences to Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), who is hellbent on seeking revenge against Joel for his murder spree at that Salt Lake City hospital in the Season 1 finale. But, even as viewers watch Abby and her crew plot, it’s difficult to think that they might be successful. Surely, there’s a way out.

At a recent Emmys FYC event celebrating the second season of The Last of Us, co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann confirmed what many fans had long speculated — Season 3 will officially shift its focus to Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby, effectively replacing Bella Ramsey’s Ellie as the central figure of the show. And if that sounds like a huge gamble, you’re not wrong, but that's what makes The Last of Us such an unexpected whirlwind of a story.

Speaking after a screening of Season 2, Episode 2, Druckmann laid out the bold path ahead, revealing: “We just ended Season 2, and Season 3 is going to be starring — spoiler alert — Kaitlyn.” Dever, who appeared virtually from Australia due to another filming commitment, played along with the announcement: “What?!”

“I was sure that they wouldn’t let us do this when we started adapting this,” Druckmann admitted. “But they’ve leaned into what makes,...

[This story contains major spoilers from season two of The Last of Us.]

While celebrating the second season of The Last of Us at an Emmys FYC event on Tuesday, co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann offered up a few details about what’s in store for season three.

The duo took part in two panels at the event, the first alongside cinematographer Ksenia Sereda, costume designer Ann Foley, editor Timothy Good, composer David Fleming, production designer Don Macaulay and visual effects supervisor Alex Wang. During that conversation, Mazin mused how they build these extensive, meticulous sets and “we tend to light things on fire, smash them, tear them down” — something they may change for season three.

“It’s more of a water season than a fire season,” Druckmann revealed, as Mazin confirmed, “It’s a wetter season than a hotter season.”

Later, following a screening of the season’s second episode, Mazin and Druckmann returned with stars Bella Ramsey,...

It is fair to say that The Last of Us Season 2 ended on a sour note for those rooting for the exploration party from Jackson. Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced) ventured off to Seattle in hopes of finding and killing Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) following her role in the death of Joel (Pedro Pascal). The divisive Last of Us season 2 finale left Ellie in a precarious position, after Abby finally uncovered her location within Seattle. The ambush of the Wlf soldier has already claimed the life of Jesse (Young Mazino) and now, Ellie and Tommy (Gabriel Luna) will be at Abby's mercy when the series returns.

The arrival of Abby only came after Ellie had decimated a significant portion of the crew that came to take out Joel. Owen (Spencer Lord) and Mel (Ariela Barer), two of Abby's friends, were killed by Ellie, albeit one of those deaths was tragically accidental.

Throughout season 2 of HBO’s The Last of Us, the creators changed elements of the story from how they played out the source material. Sometimes, they were minor things that may have gone unnoticed. Others were things that didn’t happen in the game at all. In both cases, it worked out.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the best ten alterations made and highlight what made each of these changes the right choice to make.

Photograph by Liane Hentscher/HBO 10. The Council

Having a council in the Jackson, Wyoming, compound makes a lot of sense; rules and voting are among the most important things in ensuring a community like this one survives. They also served a purpose to the plot, adding drama to Ellie's storyline since they denied her request to go after Abby.

Having her go after Abby like she did with the game would...

Following the Emmy® Award-winning debut season, Season Two of the HBO® Original Series The Last of Us, continues the emotionally charged journey of survival, loss, and humanity in a post-pandemic world. Based on the famed video game of the same name, The Last of Us continues to captivate audiences with its compelling storytelling and stunning performances. Now, fans can own all seven episodes of the critically acclaimed second season along with nearly two hours of special features including two never-before-been-seen featurettes, when Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment releases The Last of Us: The Complete Second Season on 4K Ultra HD Steelbook, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on September 23, 2025. Pre-order your copy today!

The Last of Us: The Complete Second Season is also available now to purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Fandango at Home and more.

The Last of Us Season 1, Season 2, and a Season 1-...

The Last of Us, HBO’s post-apocalyptic drama based on the PlayStation video game series of the same name, will return for a third season of mushroom monsters and character-driven storytelling. Like Season 2, Season 3 will be based on the game The Last of Us Part II, and tell the story from the perspective of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), the traumatized soldier who (spoiler alert) tortured and killed Joel (Pedro Pascal) in front of his adopted daughter Ellie (Bella Ramsey) early in Season 2. Abby is a playable character in the game, so the shift in perspective is an established part of the story, and an important element in establishing its themes of empathy and forgiveness.

While we wait for news about Season 3, which could take a long while to produce, here’s what we know about The Last of Us Season 3 so far, including cast, story, and potential premiere date.

When will...

HBO’s The Last of Us is continuing its acclaimed programming with a season 3, which had been announced before season 2 even premiered. Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films, provided the following statement: “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.“

Now, you can own season 2 in physical form with the newly announced 4K Blu-ray set. Blu-ray.com reports that the hit HBO show will release the complete seven-episode saga in regular HD and ultra-hd with a plethora of special features and it...

Kaitlyn Dever joined the cast of HBO's The Last of Us (adapted from Naughty Dog's video game series) as Abby in the beginning of season 2. Her introduction was explosive to say the least, as she brutally murdered lead character Joel (Pedro Pascal) in the second episode in revenge for him killing her father in the season 1 finale. Joel's death is regarded as one of the most shocking and controversial moments in video game history.

After the season's shocking opening, the story focused on Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and her ardent quest for revenge. Her steadfast, uncompromising search for Abby takes her to Seattle with her pregnant girlfriend Dina (Isabella Merced); they're later joined by Ellie's friend Jesse (Young Mazino) and Joel's younger brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna). Ellie is prepared to go to hell and back, so long as she gets her revenge. By the end of the season, she does encounter Abby,...

Spoilers ahead if you have not seen the season finale of The Last of Us season two yet on HBO.

If you did see the season finale, you’ll know that Young Mazino‘s Jesse was shot and killed by Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) in some of the final moments of the episode.

However, quickly after that scene – which also put Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) life in question – Abby awakens from a dream. So, did Jesse really die at the hands of Abby, or was it possibly a dream!?

Keep reading to find out more…

Unfortunately, in the video games, we do know that Jesse is another one of Abby’s casualties after the death of Joel (Pedro Pascal) earlier in the season.

Young also confirmed his character is dead in a new interview.

When asked if he finished the video game beyond Jesse‘s death, he told Variety, “No. I’m dead!

At the end of the inaugural season of "The Last of Us," Joel Miller, the series protagonist played by Pedro Pascal, faces a truly impossible choice. After successfully escorting a young girl named Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across the post-apocalyptic United States, Joel meets up with his old friend Marlene, who asked him to transport Ellie in the first place, and gets some pretty rough news. Turns out that the reason Ellie needed to get to Salt Lake City from Boston safely is that the Fireflies located in Utah are planning to operate on her brain, seeing as she's immune to the cordyceps virus ... and as Marlene tells Joel, she won't survive the surgery.

Nobody tells Ellie this before she goes under the proverbial knife, but knowing her, she'd sacrifice her life to find a cure — which is what the doctors intend to do. Joel deprives her of this choice, whisking...

Jesse’s abrupt death in the season-two finale of HBO’s “The Last of Us” was never up for debate, co-creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin said in a new interview, calling the moment “always sealed” and essential to Ellie and Dina’s fragile bond moving forward.

The fatal shot anchors “Convergence,” the seventh episode that aired on 25 May, closing a 50-minute installment filmed last summer in downtown Vancouver and marking the season’s pivot toward Abby’s perspective. In the scene Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) guns down Jesse (Young Mazino) as he and Ellie rush through a deserted Seattle theater, mirroring the video game’s split-second shock.

Druckmann said keeping the blow intact preserved “the emotional math” of the source material, while Mazin argued that softening it would blunt the risk already taken when Joel died earlier in the year. Both writers acknowledged the decision will send “drastic” ripples through...

The second season of The Last of Us has ended. Haunted, bloodied, and broken, it is clear that Ellie (Bella Ramsey) is not in a good place. The season has been marked by Ellie's quest for revenge against Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) following her murder of Joel (Pedro Pascal). That journey brought her to Seattle where, in the finale, she ends up killing Owen (Spencer Lord) and Mel (Ariela Barer), two of Abby's friends. But this was not a trip sanctioned by Jackson, as the council had voted against it. Ellie and Dina (Isabela Merced) ventured off to Seattle anyway, but Ellie always believed Jesse (Young Mazino) had voted in her favor. A confrontation in the Season 2 finale revealed otherwise.

The Last of Us creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann were quizzed during a press conference on why Jesse is seemingly more opposed to Ellie in the series, than he is in the video game.

Note: This story contains spoilers for “The Last of Us” Season 2, Episode 7.

When it came to adapting “The Last of Us,” co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann had many discussions about the structure of the story and what to expand upon, change or scrap.

But there was one moment in the Season 2 finale that the pair didn’t even consider touching: the sudden death of Jesse, who’s shot in the head by Abby as he and Ellie run to the theater’s lobby to rescue Tommy. The death comes shortly after Jesse has seemingly made amends with Ellie after she dragged his pregnant ex and unborn child into a war zone.

“That one, I don’t think we ever entertained an alternative,” Druckmann told TheWrap. “His fate was always sealed.”

Throughout the episode, the tension between the pair builds, starting with the former accidentally revealing the pregnancy news to the latter.

Warning: Spoilers for Season 2 of The Last of Us ahead!

HBO has just revealed its Emmy submission categories for The Last of Us, fresh off of its second season finale. The big news: Pedro Pascal will once again compete for Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

Now, anyone familiar with the most recent season's second episode knows how destructive a golf club can be and that Pascal could have run for Supporting Actor. The decision seems to be weighing his presence in the back half of the season, including a powerhouse performance in the penultimate episode, "The Price."

Also confirmed was the obvious placement of Bella Ramsey in Lead Actress, truer than ever this season.

Isabela Merced (who plays Dina), Young Mazino (Jesse), and Gabriel Luna (Tommy) will compete in their respective supporting categories.

With the guest actor and guest actress categories, The Last of Us could potentially claim both...

Exclusive: On the heels of the Season 2 finale Sunday, HBO’s acclaimed drama The Last Of Us has finalized its list of 33 submissions for the 2025 Emmy Awards. They include Outstanding Drama Series, 10 acting and 3 writing/directing entries, with at least a third of the overall submissions tied to the praised Episode 202 “Through the Valley.”

Ending weeks of speculation, Pedro Pascal will remain in the Lead Actor In a Drama Series race for his role as Joel. Pascal had an option to switch categories after his character was killed off in the second episode, Through the Valley.” (He was subsequently seen in another episode in flashbacks). He has chosen to remain in the Lead Actor category, which landed him an Emmy nomination for Season 1. That was the route also taken by Succession star Brian Cox whose character also was killed off early in the series’ final season. It resulted in another...

This weekend, HBO aired the season 2 finale of its post-apocalyptic drama The Last of Us, and things were looking pretty bleak for Ellie (Bella Ramsey), Dina (Isabela Merced), and the rest of their friends. All season long, Ellie has been on a bloody quest for revenge against Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), the young woman who murdered her surrogate father Joel (Pedro Pascal) in front of her. In the finale, Ellie and Abby finally come face to face, after Ellie carved a bloody path through all of Abby's friends over the course of three violent days in Seattle.

Abby doesn't waste much time returning the favor, gunning down Jesse (Young Mazino) as he runs through a doorway to confront her. "I let you live, and you wasted it," Abby snarls at Ellie, before a gunshot rings out and the screen cuts to black.

When the scene fades back in, we're back to...

The seven episode second season of HBO’s “The Last of Us” just wrapped up this past Sunday night and we’ve learned that the complete season is coming to physical media in September.

“The Last of Us: The Complete Second Season” releases on 4K Ultra HD SteelBook, 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on September 23, 2025 from WB. Pre-order your copy today!

All seven episodes of the critically acclaimed second season are packaged together with nearly two hours of special features including two never-before-been-seen featurettes.

Bonus Features include:

Ellie’s Ultimate Revenge – Join the cast and crew as we discover what is fueling Ellie’s revenge and the rage within. What lead her on this path? Who is Ellie as a person and what drives her? What is her current relationship with Joel? How does she feel after she witnesses Joel die? Who is Abby? How can she find her?...

HBO shared a press release this weekend, touting a massive 37 million global viewers per episode of The Last of Us season 2.

However, on Sunday night, the divisive finale drew 3.7 million cross-platform viewers in the U.S. As The Wrap (via GameFragger.com) was first to note, The Last of Us' season 2 finale suffered a 55% drop from the 8.2 million cross-platform viewers who tuned into the previous finale.

Addressing that, the press release is quick to point out, "The audience will grow significantly due to low viewing levels over the Memorial Day holiday weekend." While that remains to be seen, this is still a significant drop in viewership from the season 1 finale.

While Memorial Day weekend admittedly didn't go in the show's favour, we'd be remiss not to point out that the season 1 finale had strong competition in 2023 when it went head-to-head with the Oscars.

Season 2 also premiered to 5.3 million cross-platform viewers,...

Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Last of Us season 2, episode 7!The Last of Us creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin have explained why they changed Ellie's (Bella Ramsey) encounter with Mel (Ariela Barer) and Owen (Spencer Lord) from the video game. In The Last of Us season 2 finale, Ellie confronts Mel and Owen at the aquarium, demanding to know where Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) is. However, when Owen tries to shoot her, she shoots and kills him, the bullet passing through his neck and accidentally killing the pregnant Mel in the process. This differs from The Last of Us Part II video game, where Ellie mercilessly kills both of them.

Speaking at a The Last of Us season 2 finale press conference, which ScreenRant was attending, Druckmann and Mazin explained the change behind Ellie killing Mel and Owen in the TV show. They explain how, in the show, Mel's death in particular was accidental,...

Warning! Spoilers for The Last of Us season 2 finale!

The Last of Us showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin break down Jesse's (Young Mazino) vote in Jackson and his confrontation with Ellie. The Last of Us season 2 focused on Ellie's (Bella Ramsey) quest for revenge against Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) following her murder of Joel (Pedro Pascal). A vote to follow Abby to Seattle is brought before the council, only for it to fail. Ellie goes against this and sets out to kill Abby with Dina (Isabela Merced). In the season 2 finale, Jesse reveals that he voted against Ellie's plan to protect the people of Jackson.

In a press conference attended by ScreenRant, Druckmann and Mazin were asked about Jesse's vote and how the character is seemingly always in opposition to Ellie in the show, compared to being more easygoing in the game. Druckmann denies that Jesse is different from his...

Season 2 of The Last of Us concluded Sunday night with an audience of 3.7 million cross-platform viewers in the U.S., per HBO.

This is significantly lower than the Season 2 premiere episode’s 5.3M viewers, but the network says it expects there to be significant growth after the Memorial Day holiday weekend. That potential for growth is evidenced by the fact that Season 2 is already amassing more average viewers over time than Season 1.

According to HBO, Season 2 is tallying nearly 37M global viewers per episode and growing. For context, the Season 1 premiere eventually went on to generate nearly 32M viewers in 90 days post-premiere, which is the largest audience for an HBO and Max debut season ever.

The Last of Us has seen an influx of viewership to the series, exceeding 90M total viewers since Season 1 ended. So far, the series has yet to surpass the audience record set by the Season 1 finale,...

The biggest grudge in recent television history came to a head last night during the Season 2 finale of The Last of Us. But co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann are insistent that the pair still have plenty of beef left between them. The post-apocalyptic world is on par with the Wild West, and has forced not just Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) to push themselves to the brink of morality, but plenty of other people around them as well. Recently speaking to Deadline about the grand finale that saw another fan-favorite character dead by the time the credits rolled, Druckmann revealed that the themes of self-forgiveness, atonement, and acceptance are going to continue to be touched on, explaining,

“The question that we’re asking, and the thing we’re interrogating in this story is, when you’ve committed such horrible things, depending on your circumstance, can you ever come back from that?...

Stop reading right this second if you haven't watched "Convergence," the season 2 finale of "The Last of Us." You may also want to stop reading if you're not familiar with either of the original video games, particularly "The Last of Us Part II." Massive, enormous, Bloater-sized spoilers lie ahead — you've been warned!

The second season of "The Last of Us" has officially come to a close, and if you haven't played either of the original video games, you might have been a little surprised when, in the final moments of "Convergence," we abruptly switch perspectives. If you have played 2020's "The Last of Us Part II," though, you were prepared for this eventuality — specifically, that the story splits after Ellie's (Bella Ramsey) three days in Seattle and refocuses on Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), the young woman who killed Ellie's father figure Joel (Pedro Pascal) earlier in season 2. So, did showrunners...

Editor's note: This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 finale.

Throughout the second season of The Last of Us, Bella Ramsey’s Ellie has been forced to look at and reconcile the decisions she’s made — both the good and the bad. But during last night’s finale, that forced awareness crossed a line that will be difficult to return from. After killing two of Abby’s (Kaitlyn Dever) accomplices and close friends, Ellie had already been questioning her morality and venge-driven quest that brought her to Seattle, but when her foe came to make amends, another life was caught in the crosshairs — that of Young Mazino’s Jesse.

During the Season 2 finale, Jesse had numerous monologues during which he tried to impart some of his selflessness onto Ellie, with all of it building to the moment that many viewers and game players already knew was coming.

Spoiler Alert !!!Spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 7 ahead!

The Last of Us Season 2 has finally ended, but it brutally killed off another fan favorite character of the HBO series. As if Joel’s brutal death in Episode 2 was not enough to shatter my heart into a thousand pieces, the makers decided to pull the plug on another character in the Season finale — Jesse.

Just like Joel’s, Jesse’s fate was also sealed for the viewers who know about the Naughty Dog game. Still, I thought the occasional deviations from the source material may also play a role in Jesse’s fate in The Last of Us Season 2. Nonetheless, no matter how painful it was, Jesse’s death was significant and much needed for Ellie’s character.

Why is Jesse’s death so important in The Last of Us Season 2 finale? Young Mazino as Jesse | Credits: HBO...

Warning: The Following Contains Spoilers for The Last of Us Seaosn 2 Finale

The Last of Us Season 2 came to an epic conclusion last night on HBO, but if you think you've seen the last of Abby and Ellie's story, think again. In fact, according to showrunner Craig Mazin, we haven't seen the last of a lot of characters that are "currently dead," and that's all thanks to the show's unique structure.

Speaking ahead of the season finale of The Last of Us last night, Mazin touched on what's to come when the series returns for Season 3. The final shot of Season 2 saw Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) wake up in a Wlf compound with the words "Seattle Day 1" superimposed on the screen. This hints to the fact that when the show does make its triumphant return to HBO, we'll be going back in time to show events from her Pov. Whether...

Editor's Note: This article contains spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 finale.

By the end of The Last of Us Season 2, Ellie Williams is not in a good place. She’s broken, bloodied, and haunted by what she’s done — and not done. After sailing into a storm, nearly being hanged and gutted by the Seraphites, killing Owen (Spencer Lord) and Mel (Ariela Barer) and then realizing Mel was pregnant, and watching Jesse (Young Mazino) take a bullet to the head, Ellie finally comes face to face with Abby (Kaitlyn Dever).

But instead of a grand showdown, she’s left sobbing, helpless, and with a gun pointed straight at her. Cue a gunshot. Smash to black. And then? It’s Abby’s story now. If you’ve played The Last of Us Part II, you saw this twist coming. In a radical shift that’s true to the game,...