- A new teaser for The Last of Us season 2 was revealed at CES 2025
- The hit series, which returns in April, looks like it'll directly adapt large swathes of the video game series
- Fans are already worried about the reaction that Kaitlyn Dever will get for playing Abby
A new trailer for The Last of Us season 2 has got fans waxing lyrical over every small but significant detail that makes up its near 70-second runtime.
The latest round of footage, which accompanied The Last of Us season 2's release month announcement last night (January 6) at CES 2025, is jam-packed with quick-fire clips that suggest it'll be as true to its identically titled game series as possible.
Considering how The Last of Us season 1 largely mirrored what happens in the first game in Naughty Dog's video game franchise, plus the involvement of The Last of Us creative director Neil Druckmann, that's to be expected. Nevertheless, it's pleasing to see how much of The Last of Us Part II is being adapted for the show's sophomore outing.
Ever since the sizzle reel-style trailer dropped online, fans have gushed over how authentic it looks, too. Threads that popped up on The Last of Us and R/Television sub-Reddits are full of comments from fans new and old discussing the level of detail on show. Where the latter group are concerned, the inclusion of a large, silver hook, the sound of that haunting siren, a snippet of that dance sequence involving Isabela Merced's Dina and Bella Ramsey's Ellie, and quotes pulled directly from The Last of Us Part II are call-backs to hugely significant moments in the action-adventure survival horror game. I won't spoil what these mean for anyone who hasn't played the games, but believe me when I say they're incredibly important moments.
The Last of Us TV show's newest teaser comes four months after the first unsettling trailer for season 2 confirmed that I wasn't ready to have my heart broken all over again (if you know, you know). It also arrives two months after The Last of Us season 2 was confirmed to be launching on in early 2025. Thanks to a stinger at the end of this most recent sizzle reel, we know it'll be with us sometime in April.
Why are people worried for Kaitlyn Dever, the actor who'll play Abby in The Last of Us TV show?
Exciting as this new teaser is, it's also led to the resurfacing of fan worries about one of the Max series' new cast members.
Last January, Kaitlyn Dever was cast as Abby, The Last of Us Part II's deuteragonist. Now, the video game series' fanbase isn't concerned about Dever's acting abilities – quite the opposite, in fact. The No One Will Save You star is incredibly talented and, as many have pointed out since season 2's latest footage was released, she seems tailor-made to play the morally complex character in one of the best Max shows' second chapter.
Some people still can't separate the artist from the art
So, what's everyone panicking about? Some simply don't like Abby because of an absolutely devastating moment in The Last of Us Part II that she's involved in (don't worry, I won't spoil anything here). Others, meanwhile, weren't enamored with being forced to play as her alongside Ellie in that game, either, especially when some gamers found Abby to be an unlikable character. The sad reality, though, is that a small portion of the franchise's fanbase hates Abby because she's a muscular woman and subsequently feel emasculated in comparison. It's a bizarre opinion to have, not least because Abby is a fictional character, but there's a toxic minority who resent her for it.
That brings us onto Dever's casting. Per IGN, Dever was given extra security while season 2 was being filmed because of the vitriol that's continually aimed at the character she's portraying. Clearly, some people still can't separate the artist from the art – and it's for this reason that the aforementioned Reddit threads were also full of commenters rightfully expressing concern for Dever's wellbeing ahead of season 2's release. I'm certainly among that number, and I hope – perhaps naively – that the Booksmart and Rosaline alumnus is spared the inevitable discourse that'll likely come her way once season 2 begins.
The Last of Us season 2 will launch on Max (US), Sky/Now TV (UK), and Binge (Australia) in April.
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