'It Certainly Seems That Way' — HBO Boss Gives Clearest Indication Yet That The Last of Us Will End With Season 3

The brag of HBO has indicated The Last of Us volition travel to an extremity with Season 3.

Despite the mixed effect to Season 2 and consequent departure of Naughty Dog franchise creator Neil Druckmann, HBO brag Casey Bloys has backed showrunner Craig Mazin's quality to proceed connected — and to bash truthful successfully contempt the series' pb actors changing.

But precisely however agelong the bid would proceed had been a taxable of debate. In May past year, Mazin indicated a 4th play was beauteous overmuch indispensable for the series. Speaking to Collider, Mazin agreed that successful bid to wrapper up The Last of Us’ communicative from the 2 Naughty Dog-developed video games successful Season 3 would mean Season 3 itself "would instrumentality forever." So, portion determination was a "decent chance" Season 3 would beryllium longer than Season 2, astatine the extremity of the time "there’s nary mode to implicit this communicative successful a 3rd season."

He continued: "Hopefully, we’ll gain our support capable to travel backmost and decorativeness it successful a fourth. That’s the astir apt outcome."

However, successful a caller interrogation with Deadline, Bloys gave a beauteous wide denotation that Mazin won’t get the accidental to marque Season 4.

Deadline asked if Bloys could corroborate that the upcoming seasons of Hacks and The Last of Us were their last seasons. Bloys responded: “It surely seems that way, but connected decisions similar that, we volition defer to the showrunners. So you tin inquire them.” So, not 100% confirmed The Last of Us ends with Season 3, but arsenic adjacent to confirmation arsenic we tin get.

Warning! Spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 follow.

The Season 2 finale teased that, similar the game, Season 3 volition displacement absorption to Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) pursuing the decease of Joel (Pedro Pascal). It’s unclear precisely however Mazin plans to retell the Seattle conception of The Last of Us Part 2 done Abby’s perspective.

Though astir of america who played the 2nd crippled knew what was coming successful Season 2, it seems galore viewers did not. Mazin has said helium inactive gets bewildered fans asking: "Why did you termination Pedro Pascal?"

"[Game creator and chap showrunner Neil Druckmann] did a thing. Everyone mislaid their sh*t, and past I had to bash that aforesaid thing, due to the fact that helium did the thing. I loved doing the thing, I thought it was great," Mazin said of Joel's decease astatine a Variety panel.

"The large ailment that I've gotten is, 'Why did you termination Pedro Pascal?' And I support explaining, we didn't termination him! He's a man, he's alive. He's fine. And he's successful virtually everything else. So I don't cognize what the occupation is!"

“People had precise beardown reactions to immoderate arguable communicative determination we made,” added Druckmann.

(Check retired IGN’s The Last of Us Season 2 finale reappraisal to spot what we thought of it.)

In August, Ellie histrion Bella Ramsey issued a short, crisp connection to the louder critics of The Last of Us Season 2, insisting those who hatred it tin play the video crippled upon which it is based alternatively of watching Season 3.

Speaking to The Awardist podcast, Ramsey dismissed the interaction of Season 2’s online criticism. "I tried to steer wide arsenic overmuch arsenic I could, to beryllium honest," Ramsey said. “Because there’s thing I tin bash astir it anyway. The amusement is out. There’s thing that tin beryllium changed oregon altered. So I’m like, there’s not truly immoderate constituent successful speechmaking oregon looking astatine anything.

“People are of people entitled to their opinions. But it doesn’t impact the show, it doesn’t impact however the amusement continues oregon thing successful immoderate way. They’re precise abstracted things to me. So no, I conscionable don’t truly engage.”

Ramsey was past asked what they would archer the “louder critics” of Season 2 going into Season 3. "I would say, you don't person to ticker it," Ramsey responded. "If you hatred it that much, the crippled exists. You tin conscionable play the crippled again. You don’t person to ticker it, but if you bash privation to ticker it, past I anticipation you bask it."

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].