The hype around The Last of Us refuses to die down after that brutal Season 2 ending. Everyone keeps refreshing for any scrap of news on Season 3, and things have started moving lately. Here’s the straight scoop on release timing, who’s coming back (and who’s not), plus where the story looks headed—fresh as of mid-January 2026.
The Last of Us Season 3 Release Date Speculations
No firm premiere date yet, but HBO has locked in 2027 as the target window. Boss Casey Bloys said it outright last year, and nothing’s shifted since. Filming kicks off soon—most reliable reports pin it to March 2026 in British Columbia, though a few production lists floated early April or even March 2 as the start. Some older chatter mentioned summer 2025, but that clearly didn’t happen; scripts wrapped up recently, and Bella Ramsey confirmed at the Critics Choice Awards earlier this month that they’ve actually seen pages. Craig Mazin directs the opener and probably more episodes.
The delay feels right for a show this ambitious. Heavy VFX, location work, emotional performances—none of it rushes well. Trailers might land late 2026, ramping up the countdown properly.
The Last of Us Season 3 Expected Cast
The main players stick around, with one noticeable shake-up:
- Bella Ramsey stays on as Ellie. Still central, even if the spotlight tilts elsewhere this time.
- Kaitlyn Dever as Abby steps way up front. Season 3 leans hard into her world and what shaped her.
- Isabela Merced as Dina looks set to return, keeping that connection to Ellie’s path alive.
- Supporting faces like Gabriel Luna (Tommy), Jeffrey Wright (Isaac), and others from the WLF side should show up again.
Pedro Pascal’s Joel? Expect him in flashbacks or echoes—his story isn’t totally closed off, and creators have teased familiar faces aren’t done appearing yet.
Big change: Danny Ramirez won’t reprise Manny. Scheduling clashed (Marvel stuff pulled him away), so the part gets recast. Casting calls are happening quietly now.
Craig Mazin runs the show solo after Neil Druckmann stepped back to focus on Naughty Dog—no co-showrunner drama, just cleaner creative control.
The Last of Us Season 3 Potential Plot
Season 3 jumps straight into adapting the second half of The Last of Us Part II. It flips to Abby’s perspective, starting around “Seattle Day One”—events running parallel to (and past) what Ellie went through last season. Expect deeper dives into her life with the WLF, her relationships, the weight of her choices, and how revenge spirals for everyone involved.
The story won’t tie everything up neatly here. Mazin has said outright there’s no finishing the full narrative in just one more season—Season 3 gets bigger and longer than Season 2, but a fourth feels likely to close the loop properly. Themes hit hard on cycles of violence, empathy across enemy lines, forgiveness (or the lack of it), and raw survival guilt.
Mazin promised a “significantly larger” scale, so brace for expanded set pieces, more infected chaos, and those quiet, gut-punch character beats the show does so well.
