The Last of Us Season 3 Casts John Goodman, and Two Familiar Game Voices Return in New Roles
HBO’s The Last of Us marked this year’s Last of Us Day with a Season 3 casting surprise instead of new game news. Deadline, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter confirmed on September 26 that John Goodman, Ian Alexander, and Laura Bailey have joined the cast, with two of the three actors returning to the franchise after voicing major roles in The Last of Us Part II, just not the characters you’d expect.
Meet Joey and Paco, the Heroes of the Highway
Goodman is playing Joey, one half of a friendly pairing that, according to The Hollywood Reporter, calls itself the “Heroes of the Highway.” Alexander plays his partner Paco. Neither character has appeared in the games before, so both look to be new additions built specifically for Season 3’s expanded story.
Laura Bailey Joins as a Seraphite Leader
Bailey’s role sits closer to the story fans already know. She’s playing Elizabeth, described as one of the leaders of the Seraphites, the isolationist religious faction that drives much of the conflict in The Last of Us Part II. With Season 3 expected to adapt the Abby side of that story, a new Seraphite leader points to the show digging further into the faction’s role in Abby’s arc.
Same Actors, Different Characters
Here’s the twist: Alexander and Bailey aren’t strangers to this world. Alexander voiced Lev in The Last of Us Part II, while Bailey voiced Abby herself. Neither is reprising that role on screen, though. Abby is played in the HBO series by Kaitlyn Dever, and Lev’s live-action counterpart is played by Kyriana Kratter, cast in that part back in March. So rather than stepping back into their original performances, both actors are joining the live-action world as entirely new characters instead.
Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby remains the throughline for Season 3, with Bailey’s Elizabeth joining the Seraphite side of that story instead of reprising Abby herself.
A Last of Us Day With Two Celebrations
September 26 is Last of Us Day, marking the anniversary of the Cordyceps outbreak that kicks off the games’ story. This year, the HBO side used the date for its casting reveal, while Naughty Dog is saving its own festivities on the game side for September 28, two days later, promising a partnership announcement, a collaboration, digital surprises, and its annual No Return charity stream. It’s an unusual split, but it means Last of Us fans are getting two rounds of news out of the same anniversary week.
Where Season 3 Stands Now
Craig Mazin remains the show’s sole showrunner following Neil Druckmann’s step back from Season 3’s creative direction, as we covered here. HBO still hasn’t formally confirmed whether Season 3 will be the series’ last, and this casting news doesn’t settle that question either. What is clear is timing: filming is expected to wrap by late November, with a premiere targeted for sometime in 2027.
No first-look photos of Goodman, Alexander, or Bailey in costume have been released yet. We’ll update this story once HBO shares more.
Keep the adventure going! Check out more Movies & Shows News on Gamersuniverse.
Picture Source: HBO
