The Last of Us Showrunners Tease: 'We Haven't Seen the Last of a Lot of People Who Are Currently Dead in The Story'

And conscionable similar that, The Last of Us Season 2 is over. And if it's near you wondering conscionable where, exactly, things are going to spell successful Season 3, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann person fto america successful connected a small secret: they don't yet cognize "how much, oregon alternatively however little" immoderate of our favourite characters volition beryllium around.

Warning: this communicative contains spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2.

“Even if I thought I knew present precisely however it was going to go, I’m experienced capable to cognize that 2 weeks from present we whitethorn person a antithetic thought of however it should go,” Mazin told Variety. “All I tin accidental is we haven’t seen the past of Kaitlyn Dever [Abby] and we haven’t seen the past of Bella Ramsey [Ellie], and we haven’t seen the past of Isabela Merced [Dina], and we haven’t seen the past of a batch of radical who are presently dormant successful the story.”

But adjacent if we don't spot surviving characters connected screen, "their beingness volition beryllium determination throughout," crippled creator and manager Neil Druckmann said. This includes Ellie histrion Bella Ramsey, who said they expect to person a smaller relation travel Season 3.

“I haven’t seen immoderate scripts, but yes, I bash expect [to person a smaller relation successful Season 3],” Ramsey added. “I deliberation that I’m going to beryllium there, but not a full bunch. We’ve had conversations astir that. I benignant of person a unsmooth thought of what it’s going to be, but I can’t archer you.”

It is worthy bearing successful mind, though, that Mazin didn't specify how these characters volition return. Perhaps, similar past week's teen Joel and Tommy's astonishment appearance, we'll get to spot characters' lives earlier the apocalypse. Alternatively, possibly we'll spot them successful much impermanent flashbacks, overmuch similar Ellie and Joel's enactment with Eugene. Either way, it should beryllium bully quality for fans who've seen their favourite quality succumb successful some Season 1 and 2 (for me, that's Jesse's demise successful the finale this week. It's each truthful speedy and brutal!).

As for the surviving characters that we whitethorn spot little often, specified arsenic Ellie, Dina, and Tommy? It'll beryllium absorbing to spot however Season 3 develops arsenic we walk much clip with Abby and her crew, and little clip with those who've travel to cognize truthful good from the Jackson community.

HBO has hailed the occurrence of The Last of Us Season 2, saying an "influx" of viewers has raised the series' planetary assemblage to implicit 90 cardinal since Season 1 ended. In the U.S., Sunday night’s Season 2 finale saw 3.7 cardinal cross-platform viewers. The Season 2 premiere occurrence enjoyed 5.3 cardinal viewers, which shows a diminution from bid opener to bid closer, but Warner Bros. said it expects the assemblage for the Season 2 finale to turn “significantly” owed to debased viewing levels implicit the Memorial Day vacation weekend.

It's besides worthy noting that the Season 1 finale acceptable an assemblage grounds of 8.2 cardinal viewers, truthful the Season 2 finale has immoderate mode to spell earlier beating that figure.

Last week, showrunner Craig Mazin indicated a 4th play is beauteous overmuch indispensable for the series. In an interview, 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 there's a "decent chance" Season 3 volition beryllium longer than Season 2, astatine the extremity of the day, "there’s nary mode to implicit this communicative successful a 3rd season."

Vikki Blake is simply a newsman for IGN, arsenic good arsenic a critic, columnist, and advisor with 15+ years acquisition moving with immoderate of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's besides a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her astatine BlueSky.