Acclaimed horror-thriller The Last Of Us returned earlier this year – and swiftly broke hearts with the brutal killing of Pedro Pascal’s stoic, reliable Joel by vengeful newcomer Abby (Kaitlyn Dever).
With the loveable rogue out of the picture, season two of The Last Of Us has followed Ellie (Bella Ramsey) on a mission of justice, alongside the plucky Dina (Isabela Merced). What they thought would be an easy revenge mission against a small group of survivors actually thrust them into a ruthless war between the military force of the Washington Liberation Front (AKA The Wolves) and the mysterious guerilla cult known as The Scars.
Adapted from Naughty Dog’s hit video game sequel The Last Of Us Part 2 but diving deeper into its post-apocalyptic world, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann’s global success story still has plenty of road left to run in future seasons. Here’s everything we know so far, from potential release dates to who might return from the cast.
Has The Last Of Us season three been confirmed?
Before the first episode of season two premiered, HBO confirmed that The Last Of Us would be getting a third season. “It can’t be overemphasised how proud HBO is for the outstanding achievement we believe the second season of The Last Of Us is,” HBO’s Francesca Orsi said in a statement. “The entire executive producer team, cast and crew have delivered a masterful follow-up and we’re thrilled to carry the power of Craig [Mazin] and Neil [Druckmann]s storytelling into what we know will be an equally moving and extraordinary third season.”
“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 support,” Druckmann added. “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!”
When will season three be released?
Sadly, it looks like fans will be waiting a little while for more episodes of The Last Of Us. According to Isabela Merced, filming on season three isn’t expected to begin until 2026 (via Forbes). There was an 18 month gap between season one filming and its launch on HBO, while season two had a 14 month production timeline. That means that even if The Last Of Us season three starts shooting on January 1, 2026, we probably won’t be watching it until the middle of 2027.
Despite a massive behind the scenes shake-up that saw co-creator Neil Druckmann and Naughty Dog writer Halley Gross leave the HBO series shortly after season two aired, CEO Casey Bloys has said the next batch of episodes will “definitely” be released in 2027.
What happened at the end of season two?
*Spoilers*
A lot. After rescuing Ellie and Dina from certain doom and a brief encounter with the scars, Jesse (Young Mazino) set out to reunite with Tommy (Gabriel Luna), so everyone could return to Jackson. However Ellie worked out where Abby was holed up and couldn’t say no to one last chance for revenge.
Things didn’t go to plan though and she ended up killing Abby’s accomplices Owen (Spencer Lord) and the pregnant Mel (Ariela Barer). It was enough bloodshed for Ellie, who returned to her friends and was preparing to leave town when Abby tracked them down to their theatre hideawy. The season ended with the death of Jesse and Abby holding Tommy and Ellie at gunpoint, before things flashed back to three days earlier to show viewers things from Abby’s point of view. That’s where The Last Of Us season three will pick back up.
Who’ll be returning for The Last Of Us season three?
Unless Mazin and Druckmann are looking to drastically alter the story, Ellie (Bella Ramsey), Dina (Isabela Merced) and Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) are all set to return, alongside Tommy Miller (Gabriel Luna) and Isaac Dixon (Jeffrey Wright).
However it was recently confirmed by Mazin that like the game, the show will focus on Abby for the next season. It means we should see more of Owen, Mel and Nora (Tati Gabrielle) but it might be a while until we catch up with semi-redeemed bartender Seth (Robert John Burke), Tommy’s formidable wife Maria (Rutina Wesley) and booze-swigging therapist Gail (Catherine O’Hara) in Jackon.
Of course, one person we won’t be seeing much of is Pedro Pascal’s Joel who was brutally murdered at the end of season two episode ‘Through The Valley’. He did, however, feature in flashbacks in later episodes, so there’s a chance we’ll see him again especially after creators teased his return – but after the events of ‘The Price’, The Last Of Us does feel like Ellie and Abby’s story now.
Will season three be the last of The Last Of Us?
There’s set to be at least one more season of The Last Of Us, though that might become two depending on how things come together.
“We don’t have a complete or final plan, but I think it’s looking like four seasons,” said HBO’s drama chief Francesca Orci (via Deadline) ahead of season two airing. “I wouldn’t want to confirm that, but it’s looking like this season and then two more seasons after this and we’re done.”
That matches up with what showrunner Craig Mazin said shortly after the first season aired. “It could end up being three or five [seasons] but four seems like a good number. Some seasons, because of the story we’re telling, will need fewer episodes and some will need more.” However he was quick to explain they “will not indulge a desire for more simply to make [fans] happier.”
However, HBO boss Casey Bloys has said the third season of The Last Of Us could be the end, with Mazin still working out how many episodes he needs to tell the remainder of the story.
Mazin also confirmed that the plot points for the scrapped Part 3 game won’t be used in the HBO show. “I am not going to go past the game. I’ll just say that flat out. I’m basically setting a decade of my rapidly dwindling life on fire to tell this story. The show is so hard to make, it has to have an end.”
He went on to say “there might be a [Game Of Thrones prequel] Dunk And Egg style The Last Of Us show that happens that somebody does,” but he isn’t thinking about spin-offs. “For me, the only question is: Is it going to be one more season or will it require two more? If this can happen all in one more season, great. If we feel like it makes sense to break it into two, then we will do that.”