/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25362057/STK_414_AI_CHATBOT_R2_CVirginia_B.jpg "OpenAI reportedly plans to launch an AI agent early next year")
Max has revealed fresh release details for The Last of Us Season 2, confirming the much-anticipated follow-up will be out in spring 2025. The streamer also announced that Peacemaker Season 2 will be out August 2025 — just one month after the release of James Gunn’s Superman.
HBO and Max Content CEO and Chairman Casey Bloys made the announcement during a 2025 programming slate presentation to journalists on Tuesday. Previously, we just knew that the follow-up would be coming sometime next year and likely in the first half, but no more solid release windows beyond that.
Season 2 will adapt the events of The Last of Us Part II, although showrunner Craig Mazin previously confirmed that it’ll take more than one season to tell the story of Naughty Dog’s 2020 Game of the Year winner. Mazin also recently revealed that Season 2 would have a shorter episode count that the previous installment in preparation for a “significantly larger” potential third season. “And indeed, the story may require Season 4,” he teased in an interview with Deadline.
The Last of Us Season 2 will see returning stars Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy, and Rutina Wesley as Maria. Previously announced new cast members include Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny, and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac, with Catherine O’Hara guest starring.
But no Season 2 casting was more anticipated than Abby, a character in The Last of Us Part II who (without delving into spoilers) has a major role in its events. HBO confirmed at the beginning of the year that Kaitlyn Dever would be playing Abby, a “skilled soldier whose black-and-white view of the world is challenged as she seeks vengeance for those who loved,” as the network describes. We got a first look at Dever as Abby in a first trailer in September.
As for Peacemaker Season 2, it will seek to remain consistent with the first season while grounding it in the DCU. John Cena will return in the title role along with Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr., Freddie Stroma as Adrian Chase, and Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo.
For more while you wait, check out our 9/10 review of The Last of Us Season 1, which we called “a stunning adaptation that should thrill newcomers and enrich those already familiar with Joel and Ellie’s journey alike.”
Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.
