Joel HBO has confirmed that Pedro Pascal still has filming commitments for The Last of Us Season 2. According to IGN, any rumors suggesting otherwise are "not accurate."
Daniel Richtman, a trusted insider, speculated about Pascal's status on set in an update on his Patreon (paywalled).
Richtman's report indicated Pascal had completed filming, though it noted production for the remainder of the season wasn't expected to wrap up until August 2024.
After inquiring about Pascal's status, IGN stated, "It would be notable if the star was indeed already finished, especially considering that showrunner Craig Mazin previously said that production was set to begin on February 12, just a little over a month ago following strike-related delays. Responding to a query from IGN, however, HBO said that this isn't the case."
Given Joel's fate in The Last of Us Part 2 video game, if Pascal had wrapped Season 2 of the show this early, it could have revealed a pivotal moment from the game.
Refuting claims as HBO has could be an effort to prevent the shocking storyline from being spoiled ahead of release if they are following the same beats as the games.
The cast of The Last of Us Season 2 includes Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Danny Ramirez as Manny, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, and Spencer Lord as Owen.
The Last of Us Season 1 was released in January 2023 to high praise. The show currently has an impressive 8.7 on IMDb and a whopping 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.
No official release date for The Last of Us Season 2 has been announced; given that Pascal is apparently still shooting, the highly anticipated show will unlikely arrive before the end of 2024.