HBO Confirms the Fate of The Last of Us After Season 2's 37% RT Audience Score

The Last of Us might be Emmy-nominated, but it'll take a while before the show graces HBO screens again.

Speaking to Variety, HBO CEO Casey Bloys dropped more information about The Last of Us' future and how long it will take to adapt the rest of The Last of Us Part II. "The series is definitely planned for 2027," Bloys said regarding season 3's release date, though he revealed showrunner Craig Mazin "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."

Unlike the previous seasons, Mazin will be the sole showrunner going into season 3, with Neil Druckmann and writer Halley Gross -- who co-wrote Part II's story with Druckmann -- announcing they will step away from the show earlier this month. According to Bloys, this decision was a result of Druckmann having to prioritize his commitment as co-president of the game company Naughty Dog, stating, "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."

Druckmann's next project is the upcoming sci-fi game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, whose cast features The Last of Us' Tati Gabrielle and Tony Dalton in lead and supporting roles.

Compared to season 1's reception, The Last of Us season 2 earned more mixed-to-positive reviews, with notable criticism being directed at the later episodes' pacing and slight tweaks to how the story played out compared to its source material. Despite this, the series has been nominated for 16 awards at this year's Emmys, including Best Actor and Actress for Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey and multiple guest actor/actress nominations for its supporting cast. The show's nomination count was outdone by Severance, The Penguin, The Studio, and The White Lotus, with Apple TV+'s hit sci-fi thriller walking away with 27 nominations, Penguin getting 24, and The Studio and The White Lotus matching each other with 23.

The Last of Us Will Dive Into Abby's Story

Keeping in line with Part II's big twist, The Last of Us ended with a dramatic confrontation between Ellie (Ramsey) and Joel's killer Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) before flashing back three days to revisit the season's back half from Abby's perspective. This will place the focus on not only Abby, but her WLF friends who assisted in tracking Joel down and their militia's leader Isaac, played again by game actor Jeffrey Wright.