The Last of Us season 3

The Last of Us
Season 3
Showrunner
Starring
Release
Original networkHBO
Season chronology

The third season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us is set to premiere on HBO in 2027. Based on the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog, the season is set twenty-five years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and collapses society. The third season, based on the second half of the 2020 game The Last of Us Part II, follows Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), a soldier in Seattle who has her worldview challenged after attaining revenge for her father's death.

HBO renewed The Last of Us for a third season before the second-season premiere in April 2025. Co-showrunner Neil Druckmann, who wrote and co-directed the games, stepped away from production alongside writers Halley Gross and Bo Shim; co-creator Craig Mazin remained as the sole showrunner, joined in the writers' room by Ryan James and Alexandra Cheng. Principal photography began in British Columbia in March 2026 and is set to conclude in November.

Cast and characters

For a more comprehensive list, see Characters of The Last of Us (TV series).

Main

  • Kaitlyn Dever as Abby,[1] a Washington Liberation Front (WLF) soldier who has her worldview challenged after killing Joel for her father's death[2][3][4]
  • Bella Ramsey as Ellie,[5] a 19-year-old who is immune to the Cordyceps infection and is seeking revenge for the murder of Joel[6][7]
  • Gabriel Luna as Tommy,[8] Joel's younger brother who maintains idealism in hoping for a better world.[9]
  • Isabela Merced as Dina,[10] Ellie's girlfriend and Jesse's ex. She is a freewheeling spirit with a loyalty towards Ellie, which is challenged by the world's brutality.[11]
  • Young Mazino as Jesse,[8] Dina's ex and an important member of Jackson whose selflessness sometimes comes at a cost.[12] Having lost everything prior to joining Jackson, he values its sense of community and works hard to ensure it is not lost.[13]
  • Spencer Lord as Owen,[14] a WLF member and former Firefly.[4][15] He is a gentle person whose physical strength forces him to fight enemies he does not hate.[16]
  • Tati Gabrielle as Nora,[14] a WLF military medic and former Firefly who has difficulty accepting her past behavior[4][15][16]
  • Ariela Barer as Mel,[17] a former Firefly and Owen's girlfriend.[15] She is a doctor in the WLF committed to her role while struggling with the realities of war,[4][16] reluctant to hurt others.[18]
  • Michelle Mao as Yara, a member of the Seraphites. She is Lev's sister who meets Abby on her journey.[19]
  • Kyriana Kratter as Lev, a member of the Seraphites. He is a 13-year-old transgender boy and Yara's brother.[19]

Recurring

Guest

  • Clea DuVall as a member of the Seraphites, a religious group based in Seattle[26]

Production

Development

Craig Mazin (left) remained as the sole showrunner of The Last of Us's third season after the departure of Neil Druckmann (right), who wrote and co-directed the video games.[27]

HBO renewed The Last of Us for a third season on April 9, 2025, several days before the premiere of the second season.[28] The season partly covers the second half of the 2020 video game The Last of Us Part II,[29] and is set to be longer and "significantly larger" than the second season.[30][31] Co-showrunner Neil Druckmann, who wrote and co-directed the games, stepped away from his creative duties on the series in July 2025 to focus on his work at Naughty Dog, primarily directing Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet‍;[32] Craig Mazin remained as sole showrunner.[27] He plans to direct the premiere to set the season's tone,[31] inspired by Noah Hawley's work on Fargo,[33] and hopes to direct another episode if he has time.[31] Other directors include Vincenzo Natali.[34][35]

The series is a production of Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Naughty Dog, the Mighty Mint, and Word Games, with Mazin, Druckmann, Carolyn Strauss, Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O'Connor, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Evan Wells serving as returning executive producers.[28] Halley Gross, who co-wrote Part II with Druckmann and worked on the second season as writer and co-executive producer, was named an executive producer in May 2025.[36] The season is produced by Leann Stonebreaker.[37] HBO's Casey Bloys indicated that the third season could be the last.[38] The series's narrative is not set to overtake the games.[30]

Casting

Kaitlyn Dever was told of the shift to Abby's perspective when she got the role for the second season,[1] and Danny Ramirez, who played Manny in the second season, was told about the character's significant third-season presence when auditioning;[22] he departed the role in December 2025 due to scheduling conflicts,[23] recast with Jorge Lendeborg Jr. in February 2026.[26] The season is set to show more of Isaac (Jeffrey Wright) and his leadership style,[20] while Ellie (Bella Ramsey) is set to have a smaller role than previous seasons due to the perspective shift.[5] Catherine O'Hara had been set to reprise her role as Gail before her death in January 2026.[39][40] Clea DuVall's casting was announced in February.[26] A casting call was distributed, seeking background performers to portray archers, blacksmiths, chandlers, farriers, and potters (with male actors willing to have shaved heads) from May to July 2026.[41][42][43] In March, Ritter and Wilson's casting was announced, alongside Barer, Gabrielle, and Lord's promotion to series regulars,[24] followed by Mao and Kratter's casting. A large casting call was held for Lev, featuring actors of several backgrounds.[19]

Writing

A writers' room for the third season was opened in late February 2025.[45] Mazin, Druckmann, Gross, and Bo Shim were joined by Ryan James, who worked on the games, and Alexandra Cheng, Mazin's second-season writing assistant.[44] Mazin had not started writing the season by April, planning to begin after the second season aired.[46] Druckmann, Gross, and Shim stepped away from the writers' room by July,[32][44] shortly before full work began,[47] and Mazin had started writing by August, set to take several months.[31] Ramsey had seen the scripts by January 2026.[48] The season is set to feature more action sequences, continuing a trend from the second.[49] Druckmann hoped it would be "as deeply faithful" to the games as the first season.[47]

The series shifted to Abby's perspective in the second-season finale; the third season follows her story,[50][51] as well as those of the characters around her, like Manny and Isaac.[22][20] Mazin thought the change was risky but felt HBO executives "understand that this show is going to be a different show every season".[52] The writers considered interlacing Ellie and Abby's stories throughout the seasons but Mazin wanted to maintain "the genetics of how this story functions".[52] He thought they were "breaking quite a few rules" of television but felt "that is the point" of the series, reinforcing that the concept of protagonists and villains is inherently flawed.[53] Druckmann said, like with the game, the third-season context of Abby's perspective is necessary before her confrontation with Ellie continues.[54]: 50:53 

Filming

Principal photography for the third season, under the working title Calm Current, began in British Columbia on March 2, 2026.[37][55][56] Dever traveled to Canada for pre-production in late January.[57] Mazin and Natali directed from March.[34] The WLF base—partly constructed for the second-season finale but mostly created using visual effects—is set to be built for the third season, based on Lumen Field.[58] Production is set to conclude on November 27.[37][55][56]

Release

According to Casey Bloys, the chairman and chief executive officer of HBO and HBO Max, the third season is expected to air in 2027.[59]

References

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