One of my favorite actors of all time, John Goodman, is joining the cast of HBO‘s The Last of Us for its third and final season. In addition to Goodman, TLOU franchise veterans Ian Alexander and Laura Bailey will also join the cast. HBO announced the new castings this morning, the same day that the cordyceps outbreak sets the events of both the video games and the TV series in motion.
Who Are the New Survivors?
Goodman (The Big Lebowski, Digger, Raising Arizona) and Alexander (Star Trek: Discovery) will play Joey and Paco, a “friendly duo” who call themselves the “Heroes of the Highway.” Bailey (Critical Role) is set to play Elizabeth, one of the leaders of a religious sect called the Seraphites.
The trio joins a packed Season 3 roster that already boasts Jason Ritter, Patrick Wilson, Clea DuVall, and Jorge Lendeborg Jr., alongside the returning lineup of Bella Ramsey, Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Gabriel Luna, Jeffrey Wright, Ariella Barer, Tati Gabrielle, and Spencer Lord.
Franchise Veterans Return to the Fold
Alexander and Bailey are well-versed in The Last of Us lore. Alexander voiced Lev in the best-selling video game series, and Bailey voiced Abby, who Kaitlyn Dever played on HBO.
A Behind-the-Scenes Shift for Season 3
The Last of Us video game creator Neil Druckmann also co-created the TV series with Craig Mazin. He wrote and directed several episodes across the first two seasons, but announced last year that he would step back for the third season.
“I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from my creative involvement in The Last of Us on HBO. With work completed on season 2 and before any meaningful work starts on season 3, now is the right time for me to transition my complete focus to Naughty Dog and its future projects, including writing and directing our exciting next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, along with my responsibilities as Studio Head and Head of Creative,” he said in a statement. “Co-creating the show has been a career highlight. It’s been an honor to work alongside Craig Mazin to executive produce, direct and write on the last two seasons. I’m deeply thankful of the thoughtful approach and dedication the talented cast and crew took to adapting The Last of Us Part I and their continued adaptation of The Last of Us Part II.”
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