"There won't be more Bill and Frank," showrunner Craig Mazin says.
Recently, The Last of Us actor Nick Offerman said he pitched new ideas for how to further explore the lives of Frank and Bill. But now it’s been revealed that Offerman was only joking and there are no plans to revisit Frank and Bill in Season 2, or ever.
Showrunner Craig Mazin told Deadline, “I’m very proud of the episode we did with Bill and Frank. There won’t be more Bill and Frank.”
Offerman played Bill in the “Long, Long Time” episode, which showed a flashback of how Bill met Frank (Murray Bartlett) and how they fell in love and eventually died together. Mazin wrote the episode, which was a fan-favorite in Season 1, prompting people to want to see more of Bill and Frank.
However, it’s not going to happen. “Nick was joking about a prequel, that was kind of a joke,” Mazin said. “We are very happy with what we achieved.”
Offerman won the Creative Arts Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his performance as Bill, marking Offerman’s first Emmy award. Offerman was not even supposed to be in The Last of Us, as the role of Bill was originally given to Con O’Neill before he had to drop out due to scheduling issues.
Season 2 of The Last of Us is due to start production in February, and star Pedro Pascal says he’ll be ready to go, despite breaking his arm and needing surgery. Season 2 also brings back Bella Ramsey as Ellie, with new cast members coming aboard including Kaitlyn Dever (Abby), Young Mazino (Jesse), and Isabela Merced (Dina). The upcoming season debuts in 2025.
As for the game series, The Last of Us: Part II Remastered releases for PS5 on January 19, and preorders are available now. Naughty Dog was developing a Last of Us online game, but this game has been canceled. Naughty Dog is now shifting its focus back to single-player games, and many are expecting the studio to make The Last of Us: Part III next.