When will 'The Last of Us' Season 3 come out? HBO boss talks future of series

When will fans see the last of "The Last of Us"?

In a recent interview with Variety, HBO and HBO Max content chair Casey Bloys confirmed the acclaimed series is aiming to debut its third season about two years from now. But Bloys said it has not been determined whether that will be the final season.

"The series is definitely planned for 2027," Bloys told Variety. "(Creator) 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."

"The Last of Us" is an adaptation of the video game franchise of the same name, and its second season was based on the 2020 game "The Last of Us Part II." But because the second game is so lengthy and narratively complex, only about half of the story of "Part II" was included in Season 2, which centered on Ellie's (Bella Ramsey) quest for revenge against Abby (Kaitlyn Dever).

Season 3 of "The Last of Us" will continue adapting "The Last of Us Part II." The plot is set to shift focus to Abby, who becomes the main protagonist in the second half of the game, with Ramsey likely to have a reduced role.

Once the HBO series has finished telling the story of "The Last of Us Part II," the show is expected to end, as there is no third game in the franchise to use as source material. Mazin has also said that two more seasons may be required to adapt the remainder of the game.

"There's no way to complete this narrative in a third season," Mazin said in an interview with Collider published in May. "Hopefully, we'll earn our keep enough to come back and finish it in a fourth. That's the most likely outcome."

Ahead of Season 3, the series went through a significant shakeup behind the scenes.

Neil Druckmann, the creative force behind the "Last of Us" video games, who also created the HBO adaptation with Mazin, announced on July 2 that he will not be creatively involved in the show moving forward. He said he is stepping away to focus on his work creating video games at Naughty Dog.

The same day as Druckmann's surprise announcement, Halley Gross, who wrote "The Last of Us Part II" game with Druckmann, also said she is stepping away from the HBO series. She previously served as an executive producer and writer on the show.

In his interview with Variety, Bloys said it was "fantastic to have Neil involved" in the HBO series but that he understands "why he needs to focus on" his video game work.

"I believe he's given us a good blueprint with the show," Bloys added. "And obviously Craig is a pro, so I think we'll be in excellent shape. I'm not worried at all."