HBO’s smash-hit The Last of Us TV show is recasting WLF soldier Manny, portrayed by Danny Ramirez, due to “scheduling conflicts.”

As first reported by Nexus Point News, Ramirez is unable to reprise his role in Season 3, for which casting — or recasting, in this case — is currently underway. Though unconfirmed, it’s thought a role in the upcoming Avengers: Secret Wars may be behind Ramirez’s scheduling issues.

Ramirez is, of course, well known to fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having portrayed Joaquin Torres/Falcon in Disney’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier series and Captain America: Brave New World, and will appear in the fifth Avengers movie, Avengers: Doomsday, which is slated to release at the end of the year.

The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 1: TV Show vs Game ComparisonDue to the show having been re-arranged to tell the story in a more linear fashion, the sequence in which Tommy teaches Ellie how to shoot across long distances is now one of the earliest scenes of The Last of Us season 2. In the game, this was told in flashback as part of the Finding Strings chapter, which occurs during day two of Ellie’s time in Seattle – many hours into the campaign. That’s not the only change. As you can see from the thick blanket of snow, the time of year is completely different. While Ellie and Tommy trek through the sun-kissed Wyoming mountains in the game, they’re lying prone in a freezing winter landscape in the show. There is a connection, though; in the game, Tommy mentions that hordes of infected move through this region in the winter. Since it’s currently winter in the show, perhaps such a horde will turn up in the next few episodes?

Who will play Manny in the third series of The Last of Us remains unknown. As for what The Last of Us fans can expect? The composer behind HBO’s smash-hit show revealed last year there’ll be “at least two more seasons.”

This isn’t a complete surprise, as just the month before, showrunner Craig Mazin indicated a fourth season would be pretty much essential for the series, as in order to wrap up The Last of Us’ story from the two Naughty Dog-developed video games, Season 3 “would take forever.” So, while there’s a “decent chance” Season 3 will be longer than Season 2, Mazin suggested “there’s no way to complete this narrative in a third season,” which should be excellent news for fans.

Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images.

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.