The upcoming third season of The Last of Us has finally been given a major update from Bella Ramsey only months after the show underwent a huge creative change. After season 1 premiered in January 2023, The Last of Us, a live-action adaptation of Naughty Dog’s critically-acclaimed video game, became HBO’s most watched show and one of the most celebrated and talked-about TV shows ever. Season 2, despite some criticism, received similar acclaim, making the development of The Last of Us season 3 inevitable, but news about the upcoming season has been scarce.
While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter on the red carpet of this year’s Critics Choice Awards, The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie in the series, revealed that she has seen scripts for season 3. While she jokes that she hasn’t actually read them yet, but has indeed seen them, Ramsey’s comments confirm that scripts have been written for the upcoming season, which means we might get more news about it soon. This comes only months after game and series creator and showrunner Neill Druckmann departed to focus again on video games in July 2025.
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What Can We Expect From The Last of Us Season 3?
Neill Druckmann’s departure from The Last of Us back in July leaves Craig Mazin (Chernobyl, The Hangover Part II) as the sole showrunner as well as writer and director. Cast and crew have assured us that Druckmann’s departure will not impact the show, and Ramsey has reiterated this point in her new comments, suggesting Druckmann left the team “in such good stead,” and that he’ll “always be a part of the [series] fabric.” With The Last of Us season 3 set to take on a different tone anyway, now may have been the perfect time for Druckmann to leave.
The final moments of The Last of Us season 2 suggested that season 3 will be following Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), a member of Seattle’s Washington Liberation Front (WLF), during the three days Ellie and Dina (Isabela Merced) spent tracking her down in Seattle. This story is inspired by a section in The Last of Us Part II video game in which players act as Abby to give them a different perspective. Abby killed Joel (Pedro Pascal) at the start of The Last of Us season 2, so following her in the third season will introduce a completely new tone.
Craig Mazin has suggested that The Last of Us season 3 will be longer than previous seasons and will be significantly larger, too. Whether season 3 adapts the entire second half of The Last of Us Part II which was omitted from season 2 remains to be seen, as Mazin has also teased the possibility of The Last of Us season 4, but this hasn’t been officially confirmed. The Last of Us has a bit of work to do to earn back audience trust, as season 2 received some criticism, but even without Druckmann’s involvement, a new focus and fresh perspectives could breathe new life into the series.
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