Neil Druckmann says it will be “fun” to see The Last of Us Season 2’s reception

Despite the unprecedented backlash around The Last of Us Part 2’s launch in 2020, series creator Neil Druckmann is actually looking forward to the reception of HBO’s second season of the live-action series.

When The Last of Us Part 2 hit store shelves in 2020, it certainly didn’t do so without its fair share of controversy. In fact, before it even launched, thousands were already unleashing hell across social media in light of inaccurate leaks.

The direction of the story in the follow-up to one of PlayStation’s very best games left the industry divided. While many were appreciative of the bold vision, others were quick to react, flaming developers online while sending death threats to cast members as well.

It was a turbulent period in the industry, and now, with Season 2 of HBO’s adaptation going ahead, history could be set to repeat itself on an even bigger scale. Though series creator and showrunner Neil Druckmann isn’t concerned about round two.

While there’s no quite telling if HBO’s adaptation will faithfully retell Part 2’s story, especially in regard to the timeline of said story, reports appear to indicate we’re on track to at least meet some new faces in Season 2.

Kaitlyn Dever, an actress who originally auditioned for the role of Ellie, is reportedly close to inking a deal for the role of the divisive Abby Anderson. This very mention of this character’s presence alone is enough to spark outrage in select corners of the internet, but that isn’t stopping the showrunners from pushing forward.

“I tend to focus on what we can control,” Druckmann told Entertainment Weekly. “Is the storytelling up to our standards? Versus things we can’t control, [like] the audience’s reaction.

“With the show’s popularity, I’m sure we’ll get the gamut of emotional responses. It’ll be fun seeing people’s responses to this story either for the first time or for the second time in another medium.”

So even after the shocking degree of backlash and the sheer quantity of insults hurled their way upon the release of the game, it doesn’t appear to have deterred production on Season 2 of the HBO series whatsoever.

For now, we’ll just have to wait and see how things pan out. Though a recent scheduling conflict could have Last of Us fans holding their breath for quite some time as Season 2’s filming is yet to get underway.