Fans of The Last of Us are eagerly anticipating the HBO series’ third season.
Right before season two wrapped on May 25, the show’s cocreator Craig Mazin confirmed that the post-apocalyptic drama, starring Bella Ramsey, Isabela Merced and (on occasion) Pedro Pascal, would return for a third season.
Almost two months later, HBO content CEO Casey Bloys hinted during an interview with Variety, published on Tuesday, July 15, that fans may need to be patient ahead of The Last of Us’ return.
“The series is definitely planned for 2027,” Bloys confirmed, before expanding on what the future of the TV series, based on the video game franchise, might look like. “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.”
The news into its return comes less than three weeks after The Last of Us cocreator Neil Druckmann confirmed that he is stepping down from the show ahead of its return to screens.
In a statement shared through his video game company, Naughty Dog, on July 2, Druckmann, 46, detailed his plans. “I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from my creative involvement in The Last of Us on HBO,” the statement read. “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.” (Naughty Dog developed the original Last of Us video games.)
In Bloys’ interview, the network executive praised Druckmann’s contributions to the TV series, which attracted 16 Emmy nominations when the 2025 list of nominees was announced on Tuesday, July 15.
“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,” Bloys told the outlet. “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.”
Druckmann’s departure from the series came as a surprise to fans who were told in April by Druckmann himself that he was on board with continuing with a third season.
Druckmann released a statement at the time that detailed his enthusiasm. “To see The Last of Us brought to life so beautifully and faithfully has been a career highlight for me, and I am grateful for the fans’ enthusiastic and overwhelming support,” the statement read. “Much of that success is thanks to my partner in crime, Craig Mazin, our partnership with HBO, and our team at PlayStation Productions. On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog, our cast, and crew, thank you so much for allowing us this opportunity. We’re thrilled to bring you more of The Last of Us.”
Bloys’ interview also discussed the onscreen absence of Pascal, 50, whose character Joel was killed during season two. When asked if filming without the actor might prove “challenging,” Bloys watered the notion down. “I think the title is obviously helped by the video game, and now the first two seasons is pretty well established. I kind of appreciate shows that take things and do a show from a different point of view,” Bloys said. (The Last of Us’ TV adaptation follows the original video games’ plot, which also killed off Pascal’s character.)
The Last of Us seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on HBO Max.
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