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Followers of The Last Of Us likely anticipated this development from afar, and now it’s official: Abby, portrayed by Kaitlyn Dever, will take center stage in the third season.
During a special For Your Consideration (FYC) event held on Monday for Season 2—a season that experienced a significant drop in viewership following the unexpected triumph of Season 1—series co-creators Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin made an appearance. They were joined by cast members including Bella Ramsey, Isabela Merced, Gabriel Luna, and Young Mazino, with Dever participating virtually from Australia, where she’s engaged in another project.
In the Q&A segment, led by Rob McElhenney, known for his work on It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and Welcome to Wrexham, Mazin and Druckmann discussed their commitment to adhering to the original storyline by having Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, meet his end early in the season. In the video game that the series is based on, Abby kills Joel at the outset of The Last Of Us 2, with the narrative eventually revisiting Abby’s character and her perspective.
“The decisions are just what the story required, and even now, it’s like I can’t believe that they let us structure the series in this way,” said Druckmann, defending the choice to kill off Pascal’s beloved character. “Meaning like we just ended Season 2, and Season 3 is going to be starring — spoiler alert — Kaitlyn.”
Dever, who feigned surprise as the show’s creators spilled the beans on what was already pretty obvious to fans of the game, chimed in with a sarcastic “What?” and a laugh as the audience joined in with their own chuckles. The announcement
“Kaitlyn, have you closed your deal yet?” joked McElhenney, “You just got a ton of leverage.”
As mentioned, it’s no surprise to fans who all but assumed Season 3 would take place from Abby’s perspective given the show’s close relationship to the game. While Dever’s character is certainly a controversial one in both versions, it does sound like the show’s leaders are planning to stick close to the original story, even if HBO might prefer a less debated outcome.
“I was sure that they wouldn’t let us do this when we started adapting this, but they’ve leaned into what makes, I believe, the story special,” said Druckmann, who is also the creator of the video game version of the story.”And allowed us not only the time but the creative freedom to be able to take these swings, and I think the audience really appreciates that.”
No word yet on when Season 3 of The Last Of Us will premiere on HBO.
The first two seasons of The Last Of Us are now streaming on Max.
