The Last of Us Season 3 cast has gained three new members: John Goodman, Ian Alexander and Laura Bailey. For fans of Naughty Dog’s games, two of those names will be especially familiar, although HBO has once again decided that returning actors do not necessarily need to play the same people.
Based on the acclaimed video game series, the HBO drama follows survivors living through a world devastated by a fungal infection. Season 1 largely adapted Joel and Ellie’s journey across the United States, while Season 2 widened the focus to include Ellie and Abby’s intertwined stories.
Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey and Kaitlyn Dever play Joel, Ellie and Abby respectively. Their performances have helped turn the adaptation into one of HBO’s biggest shows, because apparently television audiences still have room for one more emotionally punishing apocalypse.
Who are the new Season 3 characters?
According to Variety, John Goodman will play Joey, while Ian Alexander has been cast as Paco. The two characters are described as a friendly pair who call themselves the “Heroes of the Highway.”
Neither Joey nor Paco has an established role in the games, giving the series room to develop their story without immediately inviting frame-by-frame comparisons with the source material. Further details about how they fit into the plot have not been announced.
Laura Bailey will play Elizabeth, one of the leaders of the Seraphites. The religious faction is at war with the Washington Liberation Front, a conflict that forms a major part of The Last of Us Part II and the television adaptation’s expanding story.
A Seraphite named Elizabeth is mentioned in the game, but she does not have a prominent role. HBO’s version may therefore represent a substantial expansion of the character, though the network has not confirmed the scale of Bailey’s involvement.
Which actors are returning from the games?
Ian Alexander previously played Lev in The Last of Us Part II. Lev is a former Seraphite who becomes central to Abby’s journey, but Alexander will not reprise that role in the HBO series. Kyriana Kratter has instead been cast as Lev.
Laura Bailey has an even longer history with the franchise. She originally played Abby in Part II, a major and famously divisive character now portrayed by Kaitlyn Dever in the show.
Elizabeth will also mark Bailey’s second appearance in HBO’s adaptation. She briefly appeared as a nurse in the Season 1 finale, a small role with rather large consequences for anyone familiar with Joel’s hospital visit.
The series has repeatedly found new parts for performers from the games. Ashley Johnson, the original Ellie, played Ellie’s mother, Anna, in Season 1. Troy Baker, who portrayed Joel in the games, appeared as James, a member of David’s group.
Those casting choices have allowed the adaptation to acknowledge its roots without simply asking the original performers to repeat their work. Alexander and Bailey now continue that increasingly crowded tradition.
When will The Last of Us return?
HBO has not announced an exact premiere date for Season 3. The next chapter is currently planned for release in 2027.
Plot details remain limited, but the new casting suggests the series will continue expanding characters and groups introduced in Part II. Goodman’s Joey and Alexander’s Paco appear to be original additions, while Bailey’s Elizabeth offers the writers a chance to build on a name that received little attention in the game.
For now, viewers have three confirmed additions, two returning franchise performers and one actor who needs little introduction. What they do on the highway, and how heroic they actually are, will have to wait.
