‘The Last of Us’ Showrunner on Making a Carbon Copy of That Beautiful Museum Sequence

Some moments don’t need reinventing, they need honored and they need to be cherished, and that was the exact philosophy behind one of The Last of Us Season 2’s most beloved scenes: Joel (Pedro Pascal) taking Ellie (Bella Ramsey) on a birthday trip to the museum, culminating in a simulated rocket launch inside a vintage space capsule. It’s lifted almost exactly from the game — and that was the plan all along. Craig Mazin, one of the show’s co-creators, told the official HBO podcast for the series that he knew gold when he saw it, and was never going to touch it.

“Why would I change anything? It works. And I knew it would work on TV… It’s so quiet and it’s just two people sitting in one space, which is my favorite thing to do.”

The scene — which appeared in The Last of Us Part II as a flashback — was recreated with meticulous detail. For Neil Druckmann, who directed the episode, it was deeply personal, as he explained to the podcast host, and video game actor for Joel, Troy Baker.

“When we cast you, Troy, and Ashley [Johnson] for Joel and Ellie, I asked you guys what were your dreams. You told me, singer — that’s why Joel sings. Ashley told me, astronaut — that’s why Ellie is obsessed with space…He takes her to space through her imagination… and as best as he could, he takes her to space.”

It’s a beautiful, emotionally rich moment in a series defined by horror and loss. And that contrast was intentional. According to Halley Gross, who co-wrote the game and episode:

“So much of the show is about Ellie’s struggle to reconcile the past… and there’s so much darkness… The things I was most excited to get a second crack at were the moments of beauty and lightness and love and hope.”

Was The Museum Scene In ‘The Last of Us’ A Direct Recreation?

The scene was shot on a lovingly crafted museum set that brought Naughty Dog’s game to life, and as Druckmann revealed, when the game developers were shown the set, it brought them to tears as their game was brought to life.

“I show them the space capsule… and I turn to face them — I kid you not, they’re both crying. Because again, we’ve worked on these sequences for years… And that stuff just means so much to us. It’s like someone honoring your kid is the closest I can come to the emotion you feel.”

Gross added that the attention to detail was staggering: “They built — trust me, fam — there was a whole rover you’re not gonna see… a whole atrium with dinosaur skeletons… It was the most moving, immersive experience I have had.”

The Last of Us Season 2 finale will air on Sunday at 9PM on HBO.