The Last of Us season 2 and Peacemaker season 2 get promising 2025 release updates from HBO boss, and they'll arrive earlier than I expected (2025)

• HBO chief Casey Bloys has narrowed down the launch windows for the highly-anticipated duo
• The Last of Us season 2 will arrive in early 2025, Bloys revealed
• Peacemaker season 2 is also set to be released next August, HBO's CEO added

HBO boss Casey Bloys has provided some exciting release window updates for two of the studio's most anticipated TV shows.

Speaking at a HBO event, which was attended by press outlets including IGN, Bloys fielded numerous questions about the company's upcoming line-up of shows. Among the queries put to Bloys was when audiences could expect to see The Last of Us season 2 and Peacemaker season 2 make their debuts. And, while Bloys wasn't directly quoted by IGN or its siblings, IGN reports he was more than happy to deliver some telling updates on the pair's forthcoming releases.

Discussing The Last of Us' return first, Bloys told the assembled press that the hugely popular post-apocalyptic drama would launch sometime in spring 2025 (that's autumn for non-northern hemisphere dwellers). That's a narrower launch window than I'd previously reported on – indeed, in mid-September, Bloys said one of the best Max shows' second seasons would air in the "first half of 2025".

As for Peacemaker season 2, Bloys was more forthcoming about an actual release month for the DC Cinematic Universe (DCU) TV show. The John Cena-starring comic book-inspired series will, according to Bloys, debut on Max (in the US, anyway) next August, meaning it'll be released a few weeks after James Gunn's Superman movie flies into theaters.

With Peacemaker's sophomore season in the final throes of its filming schedule, plus the fact that 2025's Superman flick will lead directly into the show's next outing, it makes sense for the two DCU Chapter One projects to launch in close proximity to each other. For what it's worth, DC Studios co-head James Gunn hasn't taken to social media to counter what Bloys said. Considering Gunn is quick to dismiss rumors and other falsely reported news, it seems there's more than a grain of truth to Bloys' comments regarding Peacemaker 2.

Max-ing out HBO's 2025 release schedule

The duo's release window updates come hot on the heels of a 'new in 2025' Max trailer, which featured Peacemaker season 2's first footage and new clips from The Last of Us season 2. Regarding the latter, there was a new, albeit quick glimpse at Pedro Pascal's Joel interacting with Catherine O'Hara's unnamed character, which debuted alongside previously seen clips from season 2. Meanwhile, the first scenes from Peacemaker 2 showed the titular character raising a glass with his 11th Street Kids crew, plus a first look at Frank Grillo's Rick Flag Sr., who's expected to be the series' new antagonist.

Before he makes his live-action debut in Peacemaker, Grillo's Flag Sr. will be seen in animated form as part of Creature Commandos. The first project to arrive as part of Gunn's rebooted DC cinematic franchise, it'll launch on Max (US), aka one of the world's best streaming services, with a two-episode premiere on December 5. It's expected to debut on Sky/Now TV (UK) and Binge (Australia) around the same time, too.

It could be a while before an official trailer for Peacemaker season 2 is released, but we received an unsettling teaser for The Last of Us TV show's second installment in late September. As someone who played Naughty Dog's The Last of Us Part II, which the series' second chapter is based on, I'm not ready to have my heart broken again, either.

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