Cameras have been rolling on The Last of Us season 2 for a while now, and we finally have some semi-decent set photos. These offer fans a first look at Bella Ramsey's Ellie with her girlfriend, Dina (played by Madame Web and Superman star Isabela Merced).
We're going to tread carefully here for fear of spoilers, but those of you who have played The Last of Us Part II video game will likely be able to figure out where in the season this sequence likely takes place.
As you can see below, Ellie and Dina are on horseback and outside the Weston's Pharmacy building.
While some fans have argued that Ramsey still looks too young, she's now 20 and it's been close to two years since shooting wrapped on season 1. These episodes will provide Ramsey with a lot of heavy material to seek her teeth into, though we're confident the Game of Thrones alum will continue to impress based on her work as Ellie thus far.
Dina, Ellie's new romantic interest has been described as, "a free-wheeling spirit whose devotion to Ellie will be tested by the brutality of the world they inhabit."
"Dina is warm, brilliant, wild, funny, moral, dangerous and instantly lovable," Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us‘ co-creators, writers, executive producers and directors, said in a joint statement when Merced was cast. "You can search forever for an actor who effortlessly embodies all of those things, or you can find Isabela Merced right away. We couldn’t be prouder to have her join our family."
It's unclear whether The Last of Us Part II will be split in two across a second and third season to do the story justice. A series of major casting additions have been made, including Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Young Mazino as Jesse, Danny Ramirez as Manny, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, and Spencer Lord as Owen.
In The Last of Us, after a global pandemic destroys civilization, a hardened survivor takes charge of a 14-year-old girl who may be humanity’s last hope.
The first season starred Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones) star as Joel and Ellie. Gabriel Luna (True Detective) as Joel’s younger brother and former soldier, Tommy; Merle Dandridge (The Flight Attendant) as resistance leader Marlene; and Anna Torv (Fringe) as Tess, a smuggler and fellow hardened survivor.
The Last of Us is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann, of The Last of Us and Uncharted video game franchises.
Season 2 is expected to premiere late 2024/early 2025. Check out the new set photos (via GameFragger.com) in the X post below.