HBO's 'The Last of Us' Season 3 Officially Recruits 2 Stars From the Original Games

Published Sep 26, 2026, 11:40 AM EDT

In addition to being a die-hard fan of filmmaking, television, video gaming, and anything else with a gripping narrative, Aidan Kelley is also a passionate and detail-oriented writer and journalist at Collider.com. In addition to his work as a Senior Resource Writer, Aidan has also contributed to Collider's features and news reporting sections. He has covered major industry events, such as San Diego Comic-Con and the D23 Expo, and has had the privelege of interviewing industry stars like Bruce Campbell, Maggie Q, Chad Stahelski, and more. This sincere love for the art of storytelling began at a young age, with Aidan making video movie reviews for the news program at his local high school. That love only increased over the years, with an ongoing career in independent filmmaking and screenwriting after graduating with a degree in Film and television from DePaul University.

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Arguably one of the most celebrated video game franchises of the last few decades is none other than PlayStation and Naughty Dog's The Last of Us: an epic zombie saga where the undead, mushroom-infested creatures are honestly the least important part. Instead, the two games focus on the human impact of an apocalyptic disaster, with dynamic, well-written characters whose decisions are driven by years of trauma and a fading sense of humanity. The games were so successful that, in 2023, HBO and Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin teamed up to bring the hit games to live-action amid the ongoing video game adaptation boom taking over Hollywood.

Now, the sci-fi post-apocalyptic world of The Last of Us is set to expand again, and it's assembling what may be its most impressive ensemble cast yet. News broke this morning that John Goodman, universally known for his beloved roles in The Big Lebowski, Monsters Inc., The Conners, 10 Cloverfield Lane, and the upcoming Tom Cruise picture, Digger, has officially joined the cast of the HBO adaptation's third and reportedly final season, and that's not all. Fans of the original PlayStation games, particularly The Last of Us: Part II, will be delighted to know that the original voices of Abby and Lev, Laura Bailey and Ian Alexander, will also be joining Season 3 of the critically acclaimed video game adaptation in new original roles.

All three of the newly minted cast members will be playing original roles not seen in the game, which has become a common occurrence in the Emmy-winning series. Goodman and Alexander will reportedly play Joey and Paco respectively, a pair of lovable heroes who try their best to traverse this inhospitable world. Bailey will play the character of Elizabeth, a key leader in the faction of religious zealots known as The Seraphites.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned to Collider as the updates come in.

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  Joel Miller

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  Ellie Williams

This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.