'The Last of Us' fans will have a long wait for season 3, HBO exec reveals

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5 days ago

Fans had to wait two years and a month to get more The Last of Us after season 1 wrapped in March 2023. Now, according to HBO content CEO Casey Bloys, they'll have to wait as long, if not longer, for season 3.
"The series is definitely planned for 2027," Bloys told Variety recently when asked if the network is on track to program the series for the 2026-2027 content cycle. Co-creator and showrunner Craig Mazin "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," Bloys revealed.
The Last of Us tells the story of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), survivors of a plague born from a fungal mutation that has ushered in the collapse of human civilization, who fight their way across the country to reconnect with old loved ones and stay alive. The first season garnered a mass audience and 24 Emmy nominations, resulting in eight wins.
The second season capitalized on the success of its predecessor, despite the lengthy hiatus between seasons. But a lot has changed in the short time since season 2's April premiere. (Spoiler alert!) Pascal's character was killed on only the second episode of the season, and earlier this month, Neil Druckmann, who co-created and has helmed the series alongside Mazin, stepped away from future seasons.
Down two key creative players and coming off the dramatic cliffhanger of the season 2 closer, things are looking uncertain at Last of Us HQ. "Obviously it was great to have Neil involved in the beginning," Bloys said, but pointed out that "a lot of people don't realize that Neil has a full-time job creating video games and running Naughty Dog. It's a really big job that he's got... But I believe he's given us a good blueprint with the show. And obviously Craig is a pro, so I think we'll be in excellent shape."
When asked if the show would change were Ramsey to also become less involved since season 2's finale set up next season to be told from Abby's (Katilyn Dever) perspective, Bloys said, "Not from a marketing perspective, because I think the title is obviously helped by the video game, and now the first two seasons is pretty well established. I kind of appreciate shows that take things and do a show from a different point of view."
Following the season 2 finale, Mazin said, "There is another side to this story that we have yet to really delve into,"
"There's no question that Abby is the hero of her story," he continued. "Kaitlyn Dever is the hero of a story, always. If you have a Kaitlyn Dever, you use a Kaitlyn Dever. So I think where we go next, all I can say is it will always be centering somebody, whether it's Ellie and Dina (Isabela Merced), or whether it's Abby and Abby's relationship with Owen (Spencer Lord) or new relationships. If you played the game, you probably know what I'm talking about. But if you want to boil it down, everything is under the cloud or sunlight of Joel, what Joel did to Abby, and what Joel did for Ellie. That will never change."
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly