"The Last of Us Season 2 Trailer Shatters HBO Records Prematurely"

The anticipation for the second season of *The Last of Us* is palpable, even before its official release. The buzz surrounding the show has been amplified by the release of the latest Season 2 trailer during a SXSW panel, which has shattered records by accumulating over 158 million views across platforms within just three days. Warner Brothers Discovery reports that this trailer has not only set a new benchmark for HBO and Max original programming but has also surpassed previous promotional content for the series by an impressive "at least 160%."

You can’t stop this.

#TheLastOfUs returns April 13 on Max. pic.twitter.com/DH8UzAugIV

— Max (@StreamOnMax) March 8, 2025

As fans eagerly await the new season, the popularity of *The Last of Us* continues to soar. Season 1 episodes are now averaging around 32 million cross-platform viewers domestically, a significant leap from the 8.2 million same-day viewers for the Season 1 finale in March 2023, as reported by Deadline. This surge in viewership underscores the immense appeal of the series, making it one of HBO's most successful shows in recent years. The anticipation and enthusiasm for Season 2 are clearly evident in these staggering numbers.

The Last of Us Season 2 Character Posters

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Season 2 will feature a five-year time jump and delve deeper into the tumultuous journey of Joel and Ellie as they face new conflicts and navigate an increasingly perilous world. The returning cast includes Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna, and Rutina Wesley, with new additions such as Kaitlyn Dever, Isabella Merced, Catherine O’Hara, and Jeffrey Wright joining the ensemble.

At the SXSW panel, showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin made significant revelations about the upcoming season. They confirmed the return of spores, which were notably absent in Season 1. The trailer hints at this with a scene where Ellie, portrayed by Bella Ramsey, encounters an infected whose breath emits spores.

Druckmann elaborated on the evolution of the infected, stating, "There is an escalation of numbers and types of infected, but also, as you see in the trailer, an escalation of the vector of how this thing spreads." He further explained the introduction of new elements, saying, "Season 1, we had this new thing that wasn’t in the game of these tendrils that spread, and that was one form. And then one shot you see in this trailer, there are things in the air."

Mazin confirmed, "spores are back," and Druckmann added that the reintroduction of spores was driven by dramatic necessity, noting, "The reason [we’re doing it now], I mean, we really wanted to figure it out, and again, everything has to be drama. There had to be a dramatic reason of introducing it now. And there is."

*The Last of Us* Season 2 is set to premiere on April 13, 2025, on HBO and HBO Max, promising fans an even more thrilling and intense continuation of this gripping saga.