The Last of Us showrunner shares production update as WGA strikes appear to end

We may not get any big, juicy news about Naughty Dog’s games or show today as part of The Last of Us Day, but we do have a little bit of an update for season two of HBO’s TV adaptation.

This glibness comes from Craig Mazin, showrunner and co-creator of HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation, who has said that work on season two will resume “the second” the 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 on 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 express how “proud” he was of “the WGA and its membership.” He added that he was “excited to get back to work” on the next season of The Last of Us.

“The strike has not yet been officially lifted, but as soon as it is, we will take action,” Mazin further wrote Wires.

In a follow-up post, Mazin clarified that this ‘action’ refers to writing, rather than filming for series two.

“I hope I’ll get an update on the start of filming soon,” he concluded.

Production on the second season of The Last of Us was halted earlier this year due to writers’ strikes for fair pay. In July, Mazin said he was still hopeful the show’s second season could make its original 2025 release, but said strikes could mean the studio has to push back the timeframe.

“That hurts us, and it hurts the audience, and it hurts HBO,” Mazin said at the time.

“All of us, everyone wants to get back to work; I think everyone who is actually doing the work, including the network people that are on site with us, I think everyone just wants to get this resolved. So fingers crossed.”

The Last of Us is far from the only production affected by strikes. Earlier this year, work on the upcoming Mortal Kombat film sequel was halted as SAG-affiliated productions stood in solidarity with the actors’ strike in America.

In July, producer of Mortal Kombat 2 Todd Garner announced that he was “heading home to ride this out,” adding that the team will notify us when filming resumes.

“Until then, join me in supporting the amazing artists and the hard work and sacrifices they make to entertain us all,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, members of the caretaker union SAG-AFTRA voted overwhelmingly this week to authorize a potential video game strike.