HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us will end with its third season. Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max content, told Deadline that "Craig [Mazin] has planned it as the final season," referring to the series co-creator and showrunner Craig Mazin.
The third season was already set to conclude the show's adaptation of the second game in Naughty Dog's series, but it had been possible that the show would continue past it. Bloys, speaking after the company's night at the Emmys, ruled that out while giving updates on several upcoming HBO projects.
How the adaptation was split
HBO adapted the first game across the show's opening season, then split The Last of Us Part 2 over two seasons to reflect the game's dual protagonists. Season 2 tells the story of Ellie's quest for revenge, played by Bella Ramsey, following the death of Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, and her hunt for Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever.
Season 3 flips the perspective, retelling the same period of time from Abby's point of view. It also introduces the character of Lev, played by Michelle Mao.
Naughty Dog's role in the final season
Neil Druckmann, co-creator of the game series, co-created the HBO show alongside Mazin and served as a showrunner and writer for the first two seasons. He stepped away from work on season 3. Polygon reported that he has continued to distance himself and Naughty Dog from the show, particularly after the response to the second season, and that he told The Washington Post that Naughty Dog had no creative role in the final season while indicating he still has plans for the future of the franchise.
Bloys reiterated that season 3 is scheduled for 2027. He did not give a specific date or a narrower window. Polygon noted that Sony is separately working on a God of War series for Prime Video starring Dave Bautista.
