HBO Renews ‘The Last of Us’ for Season 3

HBO is banking on the continued success of The Last of Us.

Just days before the hit Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey-starring series returns for its second season on Sunday, HBO has renewed The Last of Us for Season 3.

“It can’t be overemphasized how proud HBO is for the outstanding achievement we believe the second season of The Last of Us is,” Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films, said in a statement. “Craig, Neil, Carolyn and the entire executive producer team, cast and crew have delivered a masterful follow-up and we’re thrilled to carry the power of Craig and Neil’s storytelling into what we know will be an equally moving and extraordinary third season.”

Created by Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin, and based on the Naughty Dog video game franchise of the same name, The Last of Us is set two decades after modern civilization has been destroyed by a mass fungal infection caused by a mutation in the genus Cordyceps. The series centers around Joel (Pascal), who is hired to smuggle Ellie (Ramsey) a 14-year-old girl, out of the QZ. The series premiered in 2023 to instant success, securing a Season 2 renewal just two episodes into the show’s debut run.

Wednesday’s renewal marks an early pickup for the series, which is set to return to screens Sunday for its long-awaited seven-episode second season, which will pick up five years after the events of Season 1. The upcoming season has already received glowing reviews from critics and currently holds a 92% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, where a critics consensus reads, “Grabbing onto thorny moral questions with its bare hands, The Last of Us‘ second season is a challenging expansion that retains its predecessor’s superb performances and verisimilitude.”

“To see The Last of Us brought to life so beautifully and faithfully has been a career highlight for me, and I am grateful for the fans’ enthusiastic and overwhelming support,” Druckmann said upon the Season 3 renewal. “Much of that success is thanks to my partner in crime, Craig Mazin, our partnership with HBO, and our team at PlayStation Productions. On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog, our cast, and crew, thank you so much for allowing us this opportunity. We’re thrilled to bring you more of The Last of Us!”

Mazin added: “We approached season two with the goal of creating something we could be proud of. The end results have exceeded even our most ambitious goals, thanks to our continued collaboration with HBO and the impeccable work of our unparalleled cast and crew. We look forward to continuing the story of The Last of Us with Season 3.”

Details for the promised third season haven’t yet been revealed, but given that Season 2 only draws from a portion of The Last of Us Part II, it will likely follow the remainder of the storyline in the game.

The Last of Us Season 2 premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. The episode will also be available to stream on Max.