'The Last of Us' renewed for second season

Pedro Pascal plays Joel Miller in HBO's The Last of Us.

The Last of Us may not have seen the last of Alberta.

The popular HBO TV show was renewed for a second season, HBO announced Friday on Twitter.

"The journey continues," it tweeted. "#TheLastofUs will return for another season on @HBOMax."

"HBO has renewed The Last of Us for Season 2 faster than a deadly fungus can spread," Variety reporter Joe Otterson wrote.

News of the show's renewal should come as little surprise, as the series has been growing its audience and racking up near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes scores – 97 per cent - since its debut episode three weeks ago.

Furthermore, the audience for the second episode jumped to 5.7 million last Sunday, a 22 per cent increase over the 4.7 million who tuned in the first night – a figure that has since grown to 22 million with repeated screenings.

The news was retweeted by IATSE212 Calgary (International Alliance of Stage Theatrical Employees) the union that represents the crews that shot The Last of Us in Alberta for over a year.

The series reportedly spent over $100 million in the province, employing hundreds of people, many of whom were in attendance last week at a screening at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary.

Could a sequel be in the works?

Too early to tell, said IATSE212's Twitter feed.

"No further details as to where it will shoot have been released at this time, stay tuned!!" they tweeted.

Meanwhile, Entertainment Weekly announced that Pedro Pascal, the star of The Last of Us, will host Saturday Night Live Feb. 4.

Pascal also stars in the Disney+ hit The Mandalorian, which returns for a third season March 1.