Given the events of The Last of Us Season 2, it shouldn’t be a surprise that next season will be very different. Catherine O’Hara has already described Season 3 as Abby’s story, but now, The Last of Us showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have confirmed that Kaitlyn Dever’s character is taking the lead role.
Mazin and Druckmann made the announcement during a Last of Us FYC Emmy event in New York, via THR. Dever participated in the panel remotely and jokingly acted surprised at the news. Druckmann went on to express his surprise that HBO didn’t push back on Season 3’s shift in perspective.
“I was sure that they wouldn’t let us do this when we started adapting this,” said Druckmann. “But they’ve leaned into what makes, I believe, the story special. And allowed us not only the time, but the creative freedom to be able to take these swings, and I think the audience really appreciates that.”
There are some spoilers ahead for The Last of Us Season 2.
Mazin also spoke about the decision to kill off Pedro Pascal’s Joel just like his counterpart in The Last of Us Part II. He noted that “this is not a show about revenge, it’s a show about grief. Well, how are we supposed to grieve if nobody we truly, truly are invested in dies?”
During another recent interview, Mazin said he’s been telling angry fans that Pascal isn’t actually dead, and “he’s in literally everything else.”
The showrunners previously explained why a showdown between Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and two other characters was changed for the show, and why they didn’t kill Alice the dog. Dever has also expressed her desire to do a flashback episode with Abby’s father that mirrors the one between Ellie and Joel.
HBO hasn’t set a date for The Last of Us Season 3 yet.
