The Last of Us season 3 and beyond gets a new update from showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. Based on the Naughty Dog PlayStation video game franchise, the post-apocalyptic HBO series premiered in 2023, following Bella Ramsey's Ellie and Pedro Pascal's Joel as they traverse a ruined United States after a devastating pandemic. Season 1 was a critical and viewership success, and The Last of Us season 2 is expected to premiere in April, continuing the story of Ellie and Joel.
Ahead of the release of season 2, Mazin and Druckmann discuss The Last of Us' future in an interview with EW. Though it doesn't sound like the exact number of seasons to come has been decided just yet (and HBO hasn't yet given season 3 the green light), Mazin confirms that the show could extend to a season 4, and potentially beyond. Check out his comments below:
“I think it's pretty likely that our story will extend past a season 3. How far past? I can't say. And that's not to say that there are not other stories that could be told, but this story is the one that Neil and I are telling.”
Druckmann then expands on Mazin's comments, not offering up any specifics but confirming that the two of them have a plan for how the series will play out:
“We have a plan. We know what we need to do going forward, but we couldn't tell you right now exactly how many episodes or how many seasons it would take to get there.”
What The Last Of Us Season 3 & Beyond Means For The Show
Will Mazin & Druckmann Move Beyond Part II?
The Last of Us season 1 adapts essentially the entirety of the first Naughty Dog video game, but season 2 won't be adapting all of The Last of Us Part II's story. The sequel game's story will be split up and adapted across multiple seasons, and the latest update from Mazin and Druckmann seemingly confirms that adapting this game could take three seasons, with the potential for a fourth as well.
Nothing from Mazin and Druckmann so far suggests that they will be moving beyond the events of The Last of Us Part II with subsequent seasons. In fact, the creators revealed to EW that season 2 will feature in the inclusion of cut material from the game, and it's possible that this cut material will help to fill out seasons 3 and 4. While the series hasn't been renewed for season 3 yet, The Last of Us season 1 reviews and viewership suggest that Mazin and Druckmann will be getting additional seasons to conclude the story of Ellie and Joel.
Our Take On The Last Of Us Extending To Season 3 & Beyond
The Last Of Us Part II Could Be Explored With More Depth
The Last of Us season 1 currently has a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and an 88% from audiences. Together, Mazin and Druckmann clearly know how to adapt this material, remaining faithful to the games' core themes and character arcs while also making some compelling changes. If season 2 repeats the success of season 1, which seems likely, season 3 and beyond are in good hands.
Spending three seasons or more adapting the events of one game may seem like a stretch, but adopting this approach could allow for an even deeper exploration of certain characters and storylines. The Bill and Frank episode, for example, was a major highlight of season 1, and neither of those characters really played a significant role in the first game. Many questions remain about exactly how the story will unfold in The Last of Us season 2 and beyond, but it sounds like there's plenty more of Ellie and Joel's story still to come.
