Key Takeaways
- The Last of Us Season 2 will adapt The Last of Us Part 2, focusing on Ellie’s journey in Seattle.
- Jeffrey Wright will reprise his role as Isaac, hinting at a brutal backstory that may be expanded.
- Season 2 may provide more insight into Isaac, including how he became the leader of the WLF.
Following a blockbuster first season, all eyes are on The Last of Us Season 2 to see whether it can adapt Naughty Dog’s second video game in the franchise as successfully as it did the first. HBO’s The Last of Us took the opportunity to expand on certain character’s roles in the series that never got time or space in the video game, and it seems that Season 2 will do the same.
The Last of Us’ second season will adapt The Last of Us Part 2, which sets the action five years after Joel and Ellie completed their journey and have since returned to Wyoming to live with Joel’s brother Tommy. Ellie’s journey eventually takes her to Seattle, a place where two factions, the Washington Liberation Front (WLF) and the Seraphites, are at war. One of the leaders of these factions is Isaac, a strong and brutal character played by Jeffrey Wright in the game, who will return to play the character in live-action in The Last of Us Season 2.
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HBO Reveals The Last of Us Season 2 Release Window
HBO has narrowed down in what months of 2025 The Last of Us Season 2 is expected to air.
Jeffrey Wright Hints at Isaac’s Role In Season 2
While The Last of Us Season 2 isn’t set to debut until 2025, Wright recently spoke to TV Line about his portrayal of Isaac in the upcoming season, revealing “we might” get a backstory for Isaac and that it likely “won’t be pretty”. The actor added that Isaac is a “straight-to-the-point type of guy” and that he will do what he thinks is necessary to survive the brutal post-apocalyptic world they inhabit in The Last of Us. Wright also alluded to one of his scenes in The Last of Us Season 2 involving a set that was elaborate and “super cool”, supposedly rivaling some of the best setpieces the actor has been involved in throughout his career, which includes stints on high concept projects like Westworld, The Batman, and Casino Royale.
“It’s kind of an introduction to the character. People have asked, I’ve seen online, whether we’ll get a little bit of a backstory about Isaac. We might. It might not be pretty.”
The Last of Us Season 2 Could Reveal Isaac’s History With the WLF
The Last of Us’ first season was highly praised for the way it executed the backstory of some less-developed characters from the game, particularly Bill and Frank. The season also introduced a new villain to the story via Melanie Lynskey’s Kathleen, who bears some similarities to Isaac’s militia leader. Creator Neil Druckmann teased to Variety earlier in the year that The Last of Us Season 2 would contain more of these kinds of moments for some of the ensemble characters, with one particular scene revealing the “backstory of this important character that there wasn’t really a way for us to do in the game.” It’s possible this scene may have been referring to Isaac.
All that’s really known about Isaac in The Last of Us Part 2 is that he was a former marine who became the leader of the WLF and is ruthless and intimidating, often resorting to torture and ultimatums, particularly when it comes to the Seraphites. The WLF overthrew FEDRA, but under Isaac’s command, they essentially became no better than their predecessors. Isaac is involved mostly with Abby’s storyline in The Last of Us Part 2, so how and when he is utilized in the second season will form an integral part of how the series chooses to adapt the second game’s timeline.
The Last of Us Season 2 will debut in Spring 2025.
Based on Naughty Dog’s popular PlayStation game, HBO’s The Last of Us takes place decades after a fungal infection eradicated most of humanity. When a teenage girl named Ellie is found to be immune to the disease, Joel agrees to smuggle her across the United States.
- Release Date
- January 15, 2023
- Creator
- Craig Mazin, Neil Druckmann
- Network
- HBO Max