HBO’s The Last of Us followed a formula that should be respected by fans of the game. It has continuously changed things to make the show different while also staying true to the story. This is why there were differences throughout, such as Isaac being given an origin story, Dina joining Ellie on one of the journeys, and us viewers meeting Joel’s father. However, for all of the things that the series altered, the things that mattered remained close to the source material. It sounds like that won't be changing going forward.
*** SPOILERS FOR THE LAST OF US ***
During episode 6 of the official podcast for The Last of Us Season 2, the cast (Troy Baker, Neil Druckman, Craig Mazin, and Halley Gross) discussed the story of Joel taking Ellie to the Wyoming Museum of Science and History. One of the moments that stayed almost identical to The Last of Us Part II video game was the scene with the pair in the space capsule. When discussing why, Craig Mazin said that keeping things identical is "the most honest and brave thing you can do as someone who’s adapting the material". Halley Gross perfectly added: "It's about what is gonna be the most effective choice."
"There is a danger of inserting ego into this process where you think, ‘Well, I can’t just do the same thing, because then, you know, I’m somehow less than a writer.’ No no no no no. It’s the most honest and brave thing you can do as someone who’s adapting the material."Craig Mazin
Later in the episode, the topic of season 3 came up. With this being the penultimate episode of season 2, it makes sense to discuss some of what’s next. One thing that fans can guess is that the creative team will continue to make alterations to the show depending on what’s needed. Craig Mazin confirmed that, saying, “And there are moments coming up in season 3, where I am so excited to replicate through adaptation because it will be different anyway.”
The biggest change for season 3
HBO’s The Last of Us could become the greatest adaptation of all time. That’s including Game of Thrones, Invincible, or anything Marvel and DC Comics have done. A lot of it has to do with how they’ve continued to keep the important parts of the original story. For example, the scene with Ellie and Joel when they have their final talk on the porch.
"If you want your work to continue to be better, if you want to grow as a writer, you have to constantly gut check and go, 'Can I make this better? Can I make this more authentic? Can I make the tension greater? Can I make the feelings deeper? And how can I honor the characters best?' And that's who you're serving more than anybody else."Halley Gross
Originally, this happened at the end of The Last of Us Part II. Craig Mazin said that this was a way to bring it all back to the beginning of the episode with Joel’s dad. Neil Druckmann continues justifying the change, saying he wasn’t sure if it would work if you had to wait years for the payoff. It was also to show how important Joel was to the video game and the HBO program.
"In the story of The Last of Us, there are certain elements that really speak to what the story's about. Even while Joel is gone, we get to see that he is at the heart of the story."Neil Druckmann
There’s no premiere date for season 3 of HBO's The Last of Us. If we had to guess, we’re probably looking at 2027. With all of the special effects, casting, searching for locations, and the fact that season 3 probably won't film until 2026, two years sounds about right. Thankfully, we know it will be worth the wait.