Many TV shows have been delayed by the writers’ strike this year, such as The Stranger things, Cobra Kai (the show makers stopped writing by choice, to show support to WGA), Yellowjackets, Big Mouth, Abbott Elementary, the film Blade, and several late-night shows like ABC’s, Jimmy Kimmel Live, CBS’s Late show with Stephen Colbert, NBC’S Tonight show with Jimmy Fallon, and few other. The writers’ strike is still moving ahead with perseverance.
One of such shows effected by the strike is HBO’s game adaptation The Last of Us. The show is being produced by HBO in collaboration with Naughty Dog, and is set to premiere on the HBO Max streaming service. The show has been in development with Craig Mazin (creator of the critically acclaimed HBO miniseries “Chernobyl”) serving as the showrunner and executive producer, alongside Neil Druckmann, the creator of the original game. The show will star Pedro Pascal as Joel, and Bella Ramsey as Ellie.
Image source: The Mary Sue
The first season of the show has received a great amount of appreciation and has given the stars more fame. Due to the great success of the show, The Last of Us season 2 has become one of the most anticipated releases. Reportedly, the preparations for the casting of season 2, have been halted due to the strike and that the casting process will began once the strike is over. But few other sources have shared a more detailed information about the casting. It is said that the actors were asked to read lines directly from the script of the part II of the game, as the second season’s script has not been written yet.
Pedro Pascal recently, in his award acceptance speech of MTV Movie and TV awards has stated that the whole crew of the show are standing in support with the writers’ strike. Craig Mazin, the director, and co- creator of the show has been seen at the strike with the fellow members of the WGA. Considering the above circumstances, it is safe to assume that the show was delayed by the crew to show support to the writers, although, it is still not entirely sure.
Image source: from the Instagram stories of @nlyonne
It is now assumed that the shooting of season 2 will begin in 2024, Vancouver, Canada. The fans are now questioning whether this delay will impact the writing of the second season. Few commented on twitter anticipating that the show will make more changes from the game. Fans on twitter, commended the showrunners for standing by the side of the Writers. On the other hand, many are upset by this delay.
Ultimately, this strike has caused significant delays in the production of numerous TV shows, with even highly anticipated releases such as The Last of Us season 2 being affected. Despite the delay, the show’s cast and crew continue to support the strike, demonstrating the importance of fair treatment and compensation for writers in the entertainment industry. While fans may be disappointed by the delay, they can look forward to the show’s return once the strike is resolved.
