The Last of Us Season 2 showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin have confirmed “spores are again” following their omission from Season 1.
The newest trailer for the upcoming HBO present, beneath, teased the introduction of spores after they had been neglected of Season 1. We see Ellie, performed by Bella Ramsey, view an contaminated whose breath releases the spores.
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Warning! Spoilers for The Last of Us Season 1 comply with.
In the video video games, the cordyceps an infection spreads through spores, which forces the characters to put on a gasoline masks at factors. But for Season 1 of the TV present, spores had been ditched in favor of tendrils, whose menace definitely seems extra horrifying and cinematic. In Season 1, we see clickers sprout terrifying tendrils that simulate the best way mushrooms talk with one another via a root-like community.
There was a sensible cause for the change, which is that utilizing spores within the present would imply big-name stars like Pedro Pascal could be compelled to put on a gasmask each different scene. While this works on The Mandalorian due to his cool helmet, plenty of the stress could be misplaced in The Last of Us, and tendrils are additionally far more menacing, visually talking.
“It’s disturbing and it’s violative. I believe it’s very primal in the best way it invades your individual physique,” Mazin stated in an interview with Variety concerning the resolution to swap spores for tendrils, significantly within the last scene the place Tess receives what can solely be described because the world’s worst goodbye kiss.
Now, talking at SXSW 2025, Druckmann confirmed there may be “an escalation of numbers and sorts of contaminated, but additionally, as you see within the trailer, an escalation of the vector of how this factor spreads” in The Last of Us Season 2, including: “Season 1, we had this new factor that wasn’t within the sport of those tendrils that unfold, and that was one kind. And then one shot you see on this trailer, there are issues within the air.”
Mazin later confirmed “spores are again,” earlier than Druckmann added: “The cause [we’re doing it now], I imply, we actually needed to determine it out, and once more, the whole lot needs to be drama. There needed to be a dramatic cause of introducing it now. And there may be.”
In different The Last of Us Season 2 information, actress Kaitlyn Dever mentioned enjoying Abby, admitting she finds it laborious to cease herself from wanting on the response on the web.
HBO’s plans to increase The Last of Us Part 2 past a single season, not like the critically acclaimed Season 1 which lined everything of the unique sport. Mazin has stated beforehand that Part 2 options much more story to cowl, so whereas Season 3 is not greenlit as of but, they’ve constructed Season 2 with a “pure breakpoint” after simply seven episodes.
Image credit score: HBO Max.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
