Last of Us Season 2 Might Be Delayed Because of the 2023 Writers Strike
Another example of a show affected by the WGA strike. Most likely.
Members of the Writers Guild of America labour union have been on strike across the country for three weeks now, but no progress has been made so far as the AMPTP, which represents all the media giants and streaming services, seems to be in no hurry to agree on a deal with WGA representatives.
And as we're all aware, the strike has already impacted quite a few movies and TV shows, with the list of affected productions constantly expanding. The Last of Us, an almost blow-by-blow adaptation of a post-apocalyptic videogame of the same name, may very well be next in line to get hit by the strike.
Craig Mazin, famous for the renowned Netflix series Chernobyl, served as the executive producer, writer and director of The Last of Us. When the writers' strike was launched, he didn't know where it would go. He was confident, however, that big corporations needed to be sent a loud and clear message that it was high time they reined in their greed.
Only a short time ago, he appeared on a picket line to support his fellow writers. He was joined by Neil Druckmann, the writer and game designer who created the original video games, The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II, and helped Mazin adapt them into The Last of Us series.
All these are ominous signs that the release of the new tragic misadventures of Joel and Ally may now be postponed indefinitely, seeing how WGA rules prohibit members from working during a strike.
It should be noted that pre-production work on season two is in full swing. Casting is currently underway, with actors auditioning for the roles being asked to read lines from the cutscenes of the second part of the original game. It's one hell of a hack, seeing how the adaptation's script will probably only have minor differences from the game's plot.
The bad news is that once the casting is over, production on the series will have to halt if Mazin and Druckmann are still on strike then: there just isn't enough dialogue in the game's cut scenes for a whole season. So, in all likelihood, we won't be seeing the second season of HBO's The Last of Us until at least 2024 or even later.