HBO’s The Last of Us is leaning even harder into its video game roots. The network has added John Goodman, Ian Alexander and Laura Bailey to the cast of season 3, and two of those names will be very familiar to anyone who has played The Last of Us Part II.
Bailey, who voiced and performed Abby in the game, will play Elizabeth, a leader of the Seraphites. That is the fanatical religious group Abby clashes with during the second half of Naughty Dog’s sequel. Alexander, the voice of the Seraphite defector Lev, has been cast as Paco. Goodman plays Joey, and the pair travel together under the self-appointed label “Heroes of the Highway.” HBO hasn’t said much else about the two characters, but the name alone hints at a lighter pairing in a story that badly needs one.
Bringing game performers into new roles is a habit by now. Merle Dandridge reprised Marlene in the first season, and Jeffrey Wright returned to Isaac, the militia leader he voiced in Part II. Bailey also made a blink-and-miss appearance in season one as a nurse in the hospital operating theatre, so this is technically her second role in the show. The approach works well as a nod to fans, although it can be slightly jarring to see the original Abby turn up opposite Kaitlyn Dever’s version of the character.
Goodman adds serious star power to a supporting cast that already has Jason Ritter, Patrick Wilson, Peter Sarsgaard and Li Jun Li joining for this season. They join returning cast members Bella Ramsey, Dever, Isabela Merced, Gabriel Luna, Wright, Ariella Barer, Tati Gabrielle and Spencer Lord. With that many names, season 3 is shaping up to be the most crowded run yet, which is fitting for a part of the story that jumps between factions and perspectives.
The behind-the-scenes picture has also changed. Craig Mazin now runs the show on his own after Neil Druckmann, who directed and co-wrote the games, stepped away following season two. Some reports describe this as the final season, but HBO hasn’t confirmed that, nor has it announced an episode count. The only official timing is a 2027 premiere window, which means a gap of roughly two years after season two ended in May 2025.
The new casting fills out the Seraphite side of the story, but it doesn’t reveal whether Mazin intends to follow Part II closely or reshape its divisive structure. That choice, more than any casting news, will decide how this adaptation ends.
