The Last of Us Season 3 Features Abby and Lev’s Game Actors in New Roles

The third season of The Last of Us has expanded its cast in honor of The Last of Us Day. While the addition of John Goodman is sure to grab attention, fans of the franchise will be excited to see Laura Bailey and Ian Alexander join the lineup as entirely new characters.

September 26 marks The Last of Us Day, commemorating the day the Cordyceps outbreak began in the game’s universe. This date often brings fresh updates about the franchise, and this year, HBO took the opportunity to reveal that Goodman, Alexander, and Bailey will be part of the upcoming season, which is not being produced by Neil Druckmann of Naughty Dog.

Both Laura Bailey and Ian Alexander previously appeared in The Last of Us Part 2, where they voiced Abby and Lev, respectively. The series typically opts not to cast the original game actors in their previous roles, instead finding new characters for talents like Troy Baker. Notably, Bailey made a brief appearance in the first season’s finale as a nurse involved in Ellie’s care.

In this new season, Bailey and Alexander will take on more significant roles as original characters. Bailey will portray Elizabeth, described in a press release as a leader among the Seraphites. Goodman and Alexander will play Joey and Paco, a duo who refer to themselves as the Heroes of the Highway. It remains unclear how many episodes these new characters will feature in.

The Last of Us season 3 is set to premiere on HBO sometime in 2027. Meanwhile, Naughty Dog is holding off on its announcements for The Last of Us Day until September 28, and details about their next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, are still under wraps.

The series is expected to wrap up in 2027.