HBO CEO Highlights The Current Roadmap For The Last of Us Series

The Last of Us, when it debuted, was, in my opinion, one of the big catalysts for this video game adaptation boom. We’re seeing a lot of success with these different IPs getting a chance to bask in the new entertainment medium’s limelight. We recently wrapped up the second season of the show, and that’s left some fans wondering what the future might hold.

HBO has been sticking closely to the source material. If you played the games, then you know that the first season kept all the major beats of the first game installment. However, we knew early on that when HBO’s production team, led by Craig Mazin, reached the second season, it would require multiple seasons.

HBO CEO Talks The Last of Us Season 3 & Season 4

Variety had the privilege of speaking with HBO and Max content chairman and CEO Casey Bloys. During their conversation, The Last of Us was brought up. According to Casey, The Last of Us season 3 is expected to arrive in 2027. So, we’ve got all of 2026 to get through before we see that next chapter of the story unfold.

The series is definitely planned for 2027. Craig 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.

However, the question that has come up multiple times in the past was just how many seasons The Last of Us Part II would require. That game was quite the behemoth, and even Casey is uncertain if we’ll see the narrative wrap up with the third season. Instead, that decision is on Craig.

HBO CEO Talks Neil Druckmann Stepping Away

If you recall, Neil Druckmann unveiled that he was stepping away from the production. For those unfamiliar, Neil was the mastermind behind The Last of Us and is currently the head of creative for Naughty Dog. Casey noted that he completely understands why Neil opted to step down, as he has a full-time job at Naughty Dog that requires his full attention.

Obviously it was great to have Neil involved in the beginning. The whole reason that I wanted to do ‘Last of Us’ is after ‘Chernobyl,’ I said to Craig, ‘what do you want to do next?’ And ‘Last of Us’ was what he wanted to do. That’s what was most important to me, Craig’s creative excitement about the show. It was fantastic to have Neil involved. A lot of people don’t realize that Neil has a full time job creating video games and running Naughty Dog. It’s a really big job that he’s got. So I understand why he needs to focus on that. But I believe he’s given us a good blueprint with the show. And obviously Craig is a pro, so I think we’ll be in excellent shape. I’m not worried at all.

However, that shouldn’t be a cause for concern. The HBO CEO noted that the series adaptation originated from Craig. HBO approached him after the success of Chernobyl to see what he wanted to do next, and that’s how we came out with this series adaptation. So, with Craig still very much involved, we’ll just have to wait and see how this next season plays out and if we even get a fourth season.

Of course, some might wonder how well the next season will do, given how the story unfolded in the second season. We won’t delve into spoilers here, but the finale of the second season saw a notable decline in viewership. Although in the defense of the show and HBO, the finale did air during Memorial Day weekend. That could have been a significant factor in determining the number of viewers at home watching the show.