Back in April, just days before season 2 of the HBO series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us started airing, HBO officially announced that the show has been renewed for a third season… but during a new interview with Variety, HBO and Max content chairman/CEO Casey Bloys has dropped the disappointing news that we should expect to see The Last of Us season 3 until sometime in 2027. He also added that showrunner Craig Mazin isn’t sure yet if season 3 will be the final season or if a fourth one will be necessary.
When the season 3 order was announced, Mazin (who is a creator, executive producer, writer, and director on the show), said, “We approached season 2 with the goal of creating something we could be proud of. The end results have exceeded even our most ambitious goals, thanks to our continued collaboration with HBO and the impeccable work of our unparalleled cast and crew. We look forward to continuing the story of The Last of Us with season 3!“
The story of the The Last of Us video game is set years after a fungal plague wiped out much of humanity, transforming most into vicious zombie-like monsters, the story follows Joel, who’s living in a militarized quarantine zone. He has a close relationship with Tess, who operates in the black market of this community. Together, they’ve become known by the local criminal underworld for their ruthlessness. On a mission to reclaim their stolen guns, they run into the leader of the Fireflies, a resistance group, who tasks them with smuggling a young girl named Ellie out of the zone. This mission soon becomes much more than they were prepared for. Here’s the season 2 logline: Five years after the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.
Neil Druckmann, who co-created the Naughty Dog video games the series is inspired by, was also a creator, executive producer, writer, and director on the show for the first two seasons, but he is stepping away from his creative involvement so he can focus on his video game work. When Variety asked Bloys how Druckmann’s decision had impacted the series, he answered, “Obviously it was great to have Neil involved in the beginning. The whole reason that I wanted to do Last of Us is after Chernobyl, I said to Craig, ‘what do you want to do next?’ And Last of Us was what he wanted to do. That’s what was most important to me, Craig’s creative excitement about the show. It was fantastic to have Neil involved. 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. So I understand why he needs to focus on that. 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. I’m not worried at all.”
Asked when we’ll see The Last of Us season 3 and if it will be the final season, Bloys said, “The series is definitely planned for 2027. 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.“
What do you think of The Last of Us season 3 not premiering until 2027? Do you think it should be the final season of the show, or would you like to see season 4 happen as well? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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