Though its second season served to be far more divisive than its first, The Last of Us Season 3 is still one of the more highly anticipated TV series on the horizon, and it’s near the top of the list of upcoming video game adaptations, given the finale’s game-centric cliffhanger ending. Naturally, shock waves reverberated through the fandom when co-creator Neil Druckmann vacated the live-action series, but star Bella Ramsey doesn’t believe his exit will change the show very much.
Druckmann publicly announced his decision to step away from the Last of Us TV series in order to re-devote his creative talents to the latest sci-fi adventure from his game studio Naughty Dog. (Last of Us Part 2 co-writer and episodic staff writer Halley Gross made the same exodus.) Both left before the horror-drama earned its latest Emmy nominations, which sparked concerns about newly lonesome showrunner Craig Mazin will face obstacles bringing Abby’s story to life in Season 3.
Bella Ramsey spoke with Variety about earning their second nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama for their portrayal of Ellie, which marks the first time a non-binary performer has received multiple Emmy noms. Speaking to Druckmann’s decision to bow out ahead of crafting the third season, Ramsey serves as a voice of logic and pragmatism amidst a sea of worried fan reactions, saying:
The world of The Last of Us is his creation, and so his voice and creative input, it doesn’t just go away in Season 3 because he’s not as actively involved. It will always be his creation. And we’re, always in everything that we do, honoring the game and Neil’s creation. He’ll definitely be missed on set. But his spirit is the story.
Honestly, it's like Bella Ramsey's words were taken right out of an official "How To Stop Your Fans From Freaking Out Unnecessarily" handbook. Even if Druckmann's physical body isn't in a writers room putting fingers to laptop keys, his influence on Craig Mazin and the rest of the creative team isn't going to magically disappear as they craft Season 3's arcs.
It's impossible to know exactly how much Mazin and Druckmann discussed where the story will go for Kaitlin Dever's Abby, compared to how things went down in the video game. But I can't imagine that the duo put the second season together with Ellie at the center without specifically talking about how certain parts of the timeline would be returned to from Abby's point of view.
Even if they hadn't, though, Druckmann's influence on the TV series is still impossible to ignore, given how heavily involved he was with the source material. Simply by originating this highly complex and moody narrative in the first place, Druckmann's fingerprints will still be all over the third season.
How Much Of Bella Ramsey's Ellie Can We Expect To See In Season 3?
For all the faith that I'm putting in Bella Ramsey's take on Neil Druckmann's exit, it's certainly worth pointing out that if the TV show does indeed adhere to how The Last of Us Part II lays out Abby's story, Ellie may only be seen in limited doses. In fact, she may only appear as often as Dever's Abby appeared in Season 2.
Just don't expect the Emmy-nominated star to reveal those details in full just yet. When asked how much of their beloved protagonist audiences will see, Ramsey replied with:
I sort of know, but I can’t tell you, I’m afraid.
Of course, anything the actor says now could very well be turned on its head by the time Season 3 actually arrives. HBO boss Casey Bloys shared with Variety in mid-July that the cabler is already viewing The Last of Us' next outing as a 2027 release, with Mazin in charge of deciding whether or not a fourth season will be required to wrap up the story.
During the long and potentially worry-filled wait for Season 3, the first two Last of Us seasons can be streamed with an HBO Max subscription.
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