HBO's The Last of Us came onto the adaptation scene in 2023 to show everyone how simple it was to create a successful TV series of a highly popular game, leaving all the previous failed attempts in its wake. Now that season 2 of the post-apocalyptic series is over, news and updates on the series have slowed, but a new image of an iconic scene that didn't make it into season 2 has popped up to bring the heartbreaking show back into the spotlight.

Even though most fans knew ahead of The Last of Us season 2's release that its timeline would not follow the exact layout of The Last of Us Part 2, even though it had stayed mostly faithful to the first game in season one, some fans took issue with how many magical moments were actually left out of the returning series. Some of the complaints revolved around Ellie not coming across as revengeful as her video game character did, Ellie being somewhat "dumbed down" and needing to rely on Jesse or Dina more, and the omission of that emotional porch scene between Ellie and Joel. Now, as viewers wonder what dark turn season 3 will take for Abby and Ellie, the show's production designer has disclosed an image from The Last of Us season 2, episode 3 that had to be cut, and it's a big moment from the video game.

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The Seattle QZ Gate Didn’t Make It Into The Last of Us Season 2 and Had To Be Cut

Seattle QZ in The Last of Us Part 2

As reported by Comicbook, the Seattle QZ gate scene from The Last of Us Part 2 was initially set up but didn't wind up being a part of the TV show, and ended up on the production's cutting room floor. In a new Instagram post by The Last of Us season 2's production designer, Don Macaulay, the image shows that the QZ gate was actually constructed and looks exactly like how it is in the video game, but due to possible time restrictions, it never materialized in episode 3 of The Last of Us season 2.

Some fans will obviously be quite disappointed that it wasn't shown, as in the game, it provided plenty of cool and magical moments between Ellie and Dina as the pair arrived in Seattle. The gate scene explained to them both how to reach the outpost, get over the wall, and helped them understand that FEDRA is no longer a factor in the city and other factions are now in control, but since it would have likely taken up a lot of time to process the ins and outs of the scene, it makes sense that it didn't make it to the final cut.

Macaulay revealed that building the Seattle QZ gate was a challenging endeavor, but all was not lost, as "the broken on-ramp did make it into the episode with the view of Seattle. It was built on the same backlot." Thankfully, The Last of Us season 2 found another, if not better, way to introduce Ellie and Dina to the hostile world of an overgrown Seattle as the pair happen upon the dead bodies of women and children (later known as Seraphites) and they conclude that it was the doing of Abby and her gang, pushing them further into the city.

A release date for The Last of Us Season 3 hasn't been revealed by HBO as yet, but if the series follows the same structure as 1 and 2, the next installment could begin shooting in 2026 and premiere sometime in early 2027.

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Release Date
January 15, 2023
Network
HBO
Showrunner
Craig Mazin
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  • instar53504431.jpg
    Pedro Pascal
    Joel Miller
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    Bella Ramsey
    Ellie Williams

WHERE TO WATCH

Streaming
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Directors
Craig Mazin, Peter Hoar, Jeremy Webb, Ali Abbasi, Mark Mylod, Stephen Williams, Jasmila Žbanić, Liza Johnson, Nina Lopez-Corrado
Writers
Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin, Halley Wegryn Gross
Franchise(s)
The Last of Us
Creator(s)
Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin

Source: Comicbook