The Last of Us co-creator Craig Mazin remains hopeful Season 2 of the HBO series will release sometime in 2025, but acknowledges the Hollywood strikes could have an impact depending on how long they last.
The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) opted to join the Writers Guild of America (WAG) on the picket lines on July 14, prompting a work stoppage from actors as well as writers on most productions. However, Mazin has not had to consider delaying The Last of Us Season 2 yet.
"We had a little more flexibility... just because we had to wait a little bit longer anyway to line up production with the weather. A lot of what we do is outside, and so we had a schedule that weirdly hasn't been immediately impacted," Mazin told Deadline. "But we're getting pretty close; wе can't keep our original start dates forever, obviously.
"If these strikes go much longer, we inevitably will have to push, and that hurts us, and it hurts the audience, and it hurts HBO. 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."
The WGA has been on strike since May 2, bringing writing duties on film and TV to a halt. Before SAG-AFTRA voted to go on strike, some productions were able to continue filming so long as their scripts were complete. Mazin confirmed he finished writing the first episode of Season 2 right before screenwriters downed tools.
"We know what the whole season is, and I was actually able to get a write and submit the first episode right before the deadline hit," he revealed. "Now I'm just walking around kind of brain-writing, I guess, which I don't think is scabbing. I take walks, and I think through the scenes because when the bell rings and this is over because the companies have finally come to their senses, I'm going to have to basically shoot myself out of a cannon because we really want to try and get this show on the air when it's supposed to be on the air."
Mazin stressed he and the rest of the team achieved a lot on the second season of The Last of Us before the writers' strike began and work on scripts paused, but he also made it clear these developments did not occur as part of a mini-room because the series had already secured a Season 2 renewal at that point.
"We got pretty far actually," Mazin said. "Neil [Druckmann] and I had been sitting and talking with Halley Gross, who also worked on the second game as a writer, and Bo Shim, the new writer that was in our little tiny room with us — obviously not a mini-room because we're greenlit... and because I hate that mini-room stuff."
Mini-rooms are a controversial practice the Writers Guild aims to end or at least heavily regulate as part of its contract negotiations. Union members are also demanding fairer contact with producers and studios and better working conditions, including higher residuals and protections against AI technology.
With both guilds in a united front, they now hold significantly more leverage. However, studios have reportedly planned to wait out the strike until at least October, meaning Mazin and the team could be out of action for a lot longer yet, and this would inevitably disrupt their 2023 production schedule for Season 2 of The Last of Us.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.
