Preview of Season 2 of HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ Shows Tension Between Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey’s Characters, Joel and Ellie

HBO unveiled the trailer for Season 2 of The Last of Us during a Saturday panel at SXSW, featuring the cast and creators of the series.

The new footage continues in the same vein as Season 1, packed with monsters, intense violence, and a heightened presence of fire.

The trailer opens with Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, cautiously moving through an abandoned building, appearing to avoid a potential threat. The floor is strewn with broken glass, and a dog can be seen wandering in the background. A quick shot shows a man’s arm sporting a watch, followed by a somber scene at a graveyard filled with slender wooden crosses, each decorated with a medallion.

We then catch a glimpse of Pedro Pascal’s character, Joel, walking with Ellie in a forest. He inquires, “You okay?” to which Ellie responds affirmatively after a slight pause, though her expression hints at deeper concerns.

Subsequently, Joel is depicted in a house in Jackson, Wyoming, where he and Ellie have resided for five years following the events of Season 1. He is seated with his nephew, Benjamin, the young son of his brother Tommy (portrayed by Gabriel Luna) and Tommy’s wife Maria (played by Rutina Wesley), who was pregnant in the previous season.

“This is where we live,” Joel tells Benjamin, pointing at a map. “And what’s that?” “The fence,” Benjamin answers. “What’s inside?” Joel asks, and the boy replies, “People,” as we see shots of Joel and Ellie strumming guitars and Ellie dancing with her new friend Dina (Isabella Merced). Finally, Joel asks, “What’s outside?” to which Benjamin responds, “Monsters,” as the screen fills with images of soldiers and W.L.F. (Washington Liberation Front) tanks, new antagonist Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) trudging through snow, and hordes of monsters charging toward the Jackson settlement, held at bay by fiery explosions. We also see Tommy firing a large weapon in a moment of fear.

Other moments in the trailer include people running through the forest with torches, Ellie walking alongside Jesse (Young Mazino), who’s armed with a gun, and a tender kiss between Ellie and Dina. Ellie also reveals a tattoo to Joel.

The trailer reaches its emotional peak with a tense standoff between Joel and Ellie. “You swore,” Ellie tells Joel, her face filled with disgust — possibly alluding to the Season 1 finale, where Joel lies to Ellie about her immunity to the fungal plague, claiming it wasn’t useful in creating a cure. In reality, Joel’s refusal to let the doctors sacrifice her to make the cure was the catalyst for the tension between them.

The panel at SXSW featured Pascal, Ramsey, Luna, Dever, Merced, and Mazino, along with series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann.

The Last of Us is based on Naughty Dog’s PlayStation video game series, which was written and directed by Druckmann. The show is produced in partnership with Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Word Games, Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog. Executive producers include Mazin, Druckmann, Carolyn Strauss, Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O’Connor, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Evan Wells, with Halley Gross serving as co-executive producer and writer.

Season 2 of The Last of Us will premiere on April 13. You can watch the trailer above.