While The Walking Dead has more than proved that zombie shows can stick around for the long haul, it appears that The Last of Us won’t enjoy a run that will come anywhere close to what AMC’s hit adaptation has pulled off.
This isn’t entirely surprising news, as HBO has always been upfront with fans that The Last of Us was never intended to be a show that would run for an extended stretch of time. Still, there has been hope through the years that the series could run for anywhere from three to five seasons. Well, it seems like the show is going to come in on the shorter end of that spectrum.
Although HBO has yet to firmly commit to The Last of Us season 3 being the final season for the Emmy-winning drama, new comments from Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann seem to all but confirm the upcoming third season will be the last.
During a new interview with The Washington Post, Druckmann dropped a few shocking revelations about the hit HBO show based on the popular video game. First, he confirmed that Naughty Dog was not creatively involved in the third season of the show, before he then seemed to confirm that the upcoming season will be the show’s last.
"I wasn't involved in shaping this season's creative direction, and Naughty Dog did not have a creative role in the direction of this season. So I can't personally speak to how production is progressing.” He continued, “It's important for us to note that as the creator of the games, Naughty Dog is still the steward of this IP and even though this might be the end of this adaptation.”
The comments seem to support the growing theory that The Last of Us season 3 will be designed as the final season of the series, with no plans for a fourth season. This was something that HBO chief Casey Bloys seemed to hint was a possibility earlier this year.
When asked by Deadline whether Hacks and The Last of Us’ upcoming seasons were their last, Bloys remarked that, “It certainly seems that way.” Hacks has since come to an end with its fifth season serving as its confirmed final, and it now appears that season 3 of The Last of Us will indeed be the show’s last as well.
The good news is that while The Last of Us might be coming to an end, Naughty Dog has big plans for the franchise’s future.
"We're not done with The Last of Us. There are a couple projects in the works that, when the time is right, I'm very excited to talk about,” Druckmann teased about the franchise’s future.
Considering the third and likely final season of The Last of Us is expected in 2027, we imagine details on what is next for the franchise might not come up until after the final season has wrapped on HBO. As for when that will be? There is no telling, as HBO has not given fans a release window for the final season, only confirming that season 3 will be coming sometime in 2027.
2027 is shaping up to be quite the year for HBO, as we'll not only have the final season of The Last of Us coming our way, but several hit series will be returning with new seasons. This includes the second season of Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which is expected to arrive early in the year and could result in The Last of Us beinged bumped to summer or even be held for the fall.
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