Gabriel Luna explains howThe Last of Usseason 2 will expand beyond the game. Luna plays Tommy Miller, the brother of Pedro Pascal’s Joel in the series. After being introduced in the series pilot and later confirmed to be alive in Jackson later in the season, Tommy survived the events ofThe Last of Usseason 1 and will be returning for the sophomore installment. In addition to Luna,The Last of Usseason 2features the return of Pascal, Rutina Wesley, and Bella Ramsay.
Speaking withScreenRantin an interview for his new filmThe Astronautat SXSW, Luna teased elements ofThe Last of Usseason 2 and how it expands the content from the game. He stated that co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have done remarkable work “continuing to explore different chambers of the story that you may not have access [to] in the game.” This amountsto an “expanded role” for Luna’s character, Tommy,as well as “an expanded world for the show.” Check out the full quote from Luna below:
For those who are familiar with the source material, they’ll know kind of how that works. And then for those who aren’t, I think it’s just safe to say that, as the years go by, this settlement has become more and more developed and more people [have been] brought into the fold. So it all expands from there. And Craig [Mazin] and Neil [Druckmann] did a great job, just as in the first season, continuing to explore different chambers of the story that you may not have access [to] in the game. And I think that that’s a really clever thing that they do.
I told Neil, you could just do a Star Wars thing just because it takes five years to make a game, but only take a couple of years to make a scene in television. So just tell all your stories now in live-action. But yeah, there’s an expanded role for Tommy and there’s just an expanded world for the show.
What This Means For The Last Of Us Season 2
Given recent news aboutThe Last of Us, this update should come as no surprise. The series recently cast six new actors, including Joe Pantoliano, who will play the role of Eugene.Eugene is acharacter fromThe Last of Us: Part IIwho is only mentioned in dialogueand seen in a photograph but will be further developed in the HBO rendition of the story. This is the perfect example of Druckmann and Mazin expanding the story and illuminating parts that players “may not have access” to during the video gameplay or may be relegated to side content.
SR Coffee Chats With Gabriel Luna
As such, Luna’s statement aligns with the previous direction thatThe Last of Ushas been going in. His quote clarifies that the role expansions will not just be elevating minor characters and introducing new ones but also further fleshing out existing players. Tommy and his wife Maria were introduced in the first season, and Maria was pregnant. Giving them more screen time could allowThe Last of Usto tackle the perils of parenthood during an apocalypse — and the grief Joel might feel as a result after losing Sarah — in more detail.
Our Take On The Last Of Us Season 2’s Expansions
The Series Is In Good Hands
Mazin is a world-class TV talent whose credits also include theraved-about miniseriesChernobyl. Given this, he can be trusted to go off-script with a major video game adaptation such asThe Last of Us. He is also collaborating with Druckmann, one of the game’s original developers at Naughty Dog, which will help to ensure the project’s integrity to its source material while also expanding significantly enough to warrant its television adaptation.
The Last of Usseason 2 will premiere on Sunday, April 13, at 9 pm ET.
