Following the conclusion of The Last of Us Season 2, the show was nominated for 16 Emmy Awards, including Best Drama. The first season took home eight Emmy Awards in 2023, including guest-acting wins for Nick Offerman and Storm Reid.
Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal may have gone home empty handed from the show’s first night at the Emmys, but their respective turns as Ellie and Joel have given new life to the franchise that began as a pair of critically acclaimed video games by Sony.
Season 2 began the adaptation of The Last of Us Part 2, which introduced Kaitlyn Dever as Abby and controversially featured Joel’s murder at her hands. That fueled Ellie’s desire for revenge against Abby, which went horribly wrong in the Season 2 finale.
Ahead of the show’s eventual return to HBO, GameSpot has put together this guide to everything you need to know about The Last of Us Season 3.
Will Bella Ramsey return for The Last of Us Season 3?
The cliffhanger ending of The Last of Us Season 2 has some fans worried about the fate of Bella Ramsey’s Ellie, since she was facing the business end of Abby’s gun in the closing moments. Abby had Ellie dead to rights in a scene directly lifted from the game.
The resolution of that scene is in The Last of Us Part 2. Fans who want to spoil the narrative can always jump to the game to see how those events played out. But the short answer is “yes,” Ramsey will reprise her role as Ellie. She just may not be as prominent in Season 3.
Will The Last of Us Season 3 be all about Abby?
As seen in the Season 2 finale, the perspective of the story has shifted and flashed back to Abby’s first day in Seattle. Subsequently, it has been confirmed that Season 3 will be Abby’s story, and viewers will learn more about her just as players did when Abby took over the narrative in The Last of Us Part 2.
Who is joining the cast of The Last of Us Season 3?
For now, there are no new cast members who have been announced.
Is The Last of Us Co-creator Neil Druckmann staying with the show?
No. Neil Druckmann announced his departure from The Last of Us in July, citing a need to resume his duties at developer Naughty Dog to prepare the company’s next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Through the first two seasons, Druckmann was the co-showrunner with Craig Mazin. In Druckmann’s absence, Mazin will be the sole showrunner going forward.
How many episodes will The Last of Us Season 3 have?
Mazin hasn’t confirmed any episode counts yet, but he has stated that Season 3 will be longer than Season 2. The first season of the show had nine episodes, while Season 2 had seven.
When will The Last of Us Season 3 be released?
Although HBO hasn’t formally set a premiere date for The Last of Us Season 3, HBO content chairman Casey Bloys has suggested that the show is “definitely planned for 2027.”
Will The Last of Us end with Season 3?
Since there isn’t a third video game to draw upon and it’s unknown if The Last of Us Part 3 will be made, the story of Ellie and Abby will conclude when the show catches up to the end of The Last of Us Part 2. Previously, showrunner Craig Mazin said that Season 4 was essential to bring the show to a conclusion. However, Bloys has indicated that the show may wrap up its run with Season 3.
“Craig is still working it out whether it will be two more seasons or one more long season. It hasn’t been decided yet, and I’m following Craig’s lead on that,” said Bloys.
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