Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Last of Us season 2!HBO struck gold with their adaptation of the popular video game infection caused by Cordyceps fungus that turns its victims into zombies. Taking place decades after the infection began, the game and show are a dissection of society as they respond to such a crisis, and how it has stripped away aspects of their humanity.
Season 1 adapted the events of the first game, while the sophomore outing tackled part of 2020's epic follow-up game, The Last of Us Part II. The Last of Us season 2's remaining characters while setting up a powerful third season.
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The Last Of Us Season 3 Latest News
More Details About The Last Of Us' Future Have Been Revealed
Before The Last of Us season 2 even concluded, the focus began to shift to the show's future on HBO. There's already confirmation that The Last of Us season 3 will be Abby's story, which may not come as a surprise to those familiar with the sequel game. After killing Joel, Kaitlyn Dever's Abby was absent for the remainder of the season until her reappearance in the season 2 finale. By following Abby, next season will also dive deeper into the WLF's war against the Scars.
With One Line, The Last Of Us Sets Up The Most Horrifying Infected Character From The Game
The Last of Us season 2, episode 5 features a small mention of rats, highlighting that a terrifying Infected may appear in a future episode.
Interestingly, Craig Mazin suggested The Last of Us needs season 4 to properly finish the story. There's no official word on HBO's decision to renew the series for a fourth season, but it sure seems like the wheels are in motion to plan out the story beyond the confirmed season 3. If following the previously used timeline, we could get renewal news ahead of season 3's debut. Either way, viewers can expect plenty more updates about the future of the show as production on season 3 gets moving.
The Last Of Us Season 3 Is Confirmed
HBO Renewed Season 3 Before The Season 2 Premiere
There's no denying that The Last of Us season 2 was one of the most anticipated TV shows of 2025, and the lengthy delays only increased the suspense. The video game adaptation took the world by storm in early 2023 and was quickly renewed. That's why it wasn't particularly shocking that HBO renewed The Last of Us for season 3 in April 2025, just a few days before the season 2 premiere. By guaranteeing that the show will be back for at least one more outing, viewers can rest easy knowing there's a lot more story to come.
The biggest question currently lingering over the third outing is its production timeline, and HBO is likely trying to avoid another long wait between seasons. Season 2's delays were partially unavoidable, and the 2023 Hollywood strikes put the industry on ice for most of that year. However, it still took more than a year and a half for The Last of Us to return following the strikes, so it probably won't have a fast turnaround regardless. 2026 might be a bit too ambitious of a release window. Instead, The Last of Us season 3 will likely premiere in 2027.
Series co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann each released statements regarding The Last of Us season 3's renewal:
Mazin: “We approached season two with the goal of creating something we could be proud of. The end results have exceeded even our most ambitious goals, thanks to our continued collaboration with HBO and the impeccable work of our unparalleled cast and crew. We look forward to continuing the story of THE LAST OF US with season three!”
Druckmann: “To see The Last of Us brought to life so beautifully and faithfully has been a career highlight for me, and I am grateful for the fans' enthusiastic and overwhelming . Much of that success is thanks to my partner in crime, Craig Mazin, our partnership with HBO, and our team at PlayStation Productions. On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog, our cast, and crew, thank you so much for allowing us this opportunity. We're thrilled to bring you more of THE LAST OF US!”
The Last Of Us Season 3 Cast Details
Who Will Survive Until Season 3?
Predicting the cast of The Last of Us season 3 is quite difficult because there are a ton of factors at play. First, it's unclear exactly how closely the show will stick with the game's story, meaning characters may actually live when they were supposed to die and vice versa. On the other hand, The Last of Us season 2's cliffhanger ending pushed character fate reveals to season 3. However, we know for sure that The Last of Us season 3 will heavily feature Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, and likely other of the WLF, like Isaac and Abby's crew.
While it's unclear if The Last of Us season 3 will cover the game beyond Abby's time in Seattle, the installment will very likely involve Bella Ramsey's Ellie and Isabela Merced's Dina in some capacity. That said, if the show follows the game structure, their appearances might be limited compared to season 2, and kept to the latter half of the episodes when the story returns to the confrontation in the theater.
The Last of Us season 3 will likely introduce a few new cast linked to Abby's story, such as Lev and Yara from the game.
One big moment that has loomed over the entire series is the death of Pedro Pascal's Joel, and it is a major turning point in the story of The Last of Us Part II video game. That moment finally came in episode 2 of the second season, and it was appropriately emotional. Though Pascal starred in The Last of Us season 2's flashback episode, he likely won't return for any future appearances unless there's a surprise in store.
The presumptive cast of The Last of Us season 3 will notably include the following:
Actor |
The Last of Us Role |
|
|---|---|---|
Bella Ramsey |
Ellie |
|
Kaitlyn Dever |
Abby |
|
Gabriel Luna |
Tommy |
|
Young Mezino |
Jesse |
|
Isabela Merced |
Dina |
|
Jeffrey Wright |
Isaac |
|
The Last Of Us Season 3 Story Details
How Will The Series Adapt The Game?
Based on the second season's final scene, it implies that The Last of Us season 3 will continue to adapt The Last of Us Part II faithfully by switching to Abby's time in Seattle. The Last of Us season 2's "Day One" ending sets up how the show will flip to Abby's POV during the same days that Ellie and Dina were in Seattle. The switch represents how the game flips to Abby being the playable character following Abby's attack on Ellie and her group in the theater.
If The Last of Us' showrunners want a season 4, it suggests that Abby's POV will make up all or the bulk of the third season. That would mean that the events following the theater ambush would stretch out into a potential season 4, closing out the arcs of the remaining characters. Still, Abby's own story will be intriguing, especially with how it involves the war between the WLF and Seraphites. Regardless of what happens in The Last of Us season 3, there is still plenty of the game left to pull from.
The Last Of Us
- Release Date
- January 15, 2023
- Network
- HBO
- Showrunner
- Craig Mazin
Cast
Joel Miller
Ellie Williams
WHERE TO WATCH
- 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
- Franchise(s)
- The Last of Us
- Creator(s)
- Craig Mazin, Neil Druckmann
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