We may not be getting any big juicy news on Naughty Dog’s games or show as part of The Last of Us day today, but we do have a slither of an update for season two of HBO’s TV adaptation.
This slither comes from Craig Mazin, showrunner and co-creator of HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation, who has said work on season two will resume “the second” that strike action is officially lifted.
As a reminder, the Writers Guild of America has been on strike for almost five months. However, it was recently announced that a tentative agreement has been reached between the relevant parties for a new three-year contract, something that looks set to end the 146-day strike (thanks, Variety).
In light of this news, Mazin took to social media to state how “proud” he was of “the WGA and its membership”. He added he was “excited to get back to work” on The Last of Us’ next season.
“The strike has not yet been officially lifted, but the second it is, we will spring into action,” Mazin wrote on Threads.
In a follow up post, Mazin clarified that this ‘action’ refers to writing, rather than filming for series two.
“I hope to have an update for start of filming before too long,” he closed.
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Production on the second season of The Last of Us was put on hold earlier this year due to the writers’ strikes for fair pay. Back in July, Mazin said he was still hopeful the show’s second season could make its original 2025 release, but said strikes may mean the studio has to push its time frame back.
“That hurts us, and it hurts the audience, and it hurts HBO,” Mazin said at the time.
“We all, everybody wants to get back to work; I think everybody that’s actually doing the work, including the network people who are with us on the ground, I think everybody just wants to get this solved. So fingers crossed.”
The Last of Us is by far from the only production to be impacted by strikes. Earlier this year, work on the upcoming Mortal Kombat movie sequel was halted, as SAG-affiliated productions stood in solidarity with the actors’ strike in America.
In July, Mortal Kombat 2’s producer Todd Garner announced he was “heading home to ride this out,” adding that the team will update us when filming restarts.
“Until then please join me in supporting the amazing artists and the hard work and sacrifices they make to keep us all entertained,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, just this week, members of the SAG-AFTRA acting union overwhelmingly voted in favour of authorising a potential video game strike.
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