Hollywood Writers’ Strike Halts The Last of Us Season 2 Production
As the Hollywood writers’ strike enters its second week, fans of HBO’s hit series The Last Of Us are in for a disappointment. The highly anticipated Season 2, which was scheduled to start filming in early 2024, has hit the breaks, according to Variety. The production team was in the midst of casting for the upcoming season when work came to a sudden halt.
Variety’s report reveals that the reason behind the delay is the absence of scripts for the second season. Surprisingly, the casting team had resorted to having actors read lines directly from The Last of Us Part II, the renowned PlayStation sequel that serves as the foundation for the new season’s storyline.
The show’s writer and showrunner, Craig Mazin, stands united with his fellow members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) in their pursuit of better pay. Negotiations with prominent companies like Warner Bros. and Netflix fell through earlier this month, leading to the ongoing strike. Neil Druckmann, the director of the games and co-creator of the HBO adaptation, is also not involved in the show’s current production, as confirmed by Variety.
At the heart of the labor dispute lies the issue of writers’ streaming royalties. While streaming platforms amass enormous profits, many talented writers struggle to make ends meet. Even when their shows are picked up by major streaming platforms, financial stability remains elusive. The first season of The Last Of Us garnered immense success on HBO Max, amassing an astonishing 32 million viewers per episode across cable and streaming platforms.
The strike’s impact extends beyond The Last Of Us, as other popular shows such as Netflix’s Stranger Things and Disney’s Star Wars series, Andor, have also come to a standstill. However, amidst the disruption, there are a few notable exceptions. Warner Bros. confidently asserts that scripts for the second season of HBO’s House of the Dragon, the Game of Thrones prequel, are already completed. Nevertheless, industry professionals remind us that show writing continues throughout the filming process.
As the strike persists, fans of The Last Of Us must wait with bated breath for the resumption of production on Season 2. The union of writers and the entertainment industry juggernauts wage a battle over fair compensation, highlighting the often unbalanced dynamics within the streaming landscape. Only time will tell when the strike will reach a resolution and the captivating story of The Last Of Us will continue to unfold on our screens.
