It appears you haven’t seen the Last of Pedro Pascal.
HBO has picked up The Last of Us, starring the 50-year-old Chilean actor, for a third season.
The announcement comes ahead of the anticipated Season 2 debut on Sunday. The decision has not been made whether Season 3 will be the series’ last, per Deadline.
Creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin previously said they were contemplating up to four total seasons to tell the story laid out across two video games.
The upcoming Season 2 is seven episodes long, and the duo sought early on to quell any worry from fans that they’d try to wrap up the behemoth that is The Last of Us Part II game in such little time.
“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.”
The early renewal is a show of faith for the acclaimed series, though not entirely unexpected, given that the first season performed so well for the network. By the time the Season 1 finale aired, HBO said the season’s average audience had surpassed 30 million viewers, with the premiere well on its way to 40M. That’s after the premiere episode brought in a same-day audience of 4.7M, which at the time was the largest debut after House of the Dragon since Boardwalk Empire launched in 2010.
“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 in a statement today. “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.”
Based on Naughty Dog’s award-winning video game, The Last of Us takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed.
Joel, played by Pascal, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
Season 2 picks up five years after the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind.
In addition to Pascal and Ramsey, returning cast includes Gabriel Luna and Rutina Wesley.
Joining Season 2 are Kaitlyn Dever, Isabela Merced, Young Mazino, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, Spencer Lord, Danny Ramirez and Jeffrey Wright. Catherine O’Hara also guest stars.
The Last of Us is written and executive produced by Mazin and Druckmann. The series is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television.
PlayStation Productions, Word Games, Mighty Mint and Naughty Dog produce.
