Everything to Know About 'The Last of Us' Season 3: Cast, Plot, Release Date and More

In April, co-creator and showrunner Craig Mazin delivered good news about The Last of Us ahead of the release of the series' highly anticipated second season.

"We approached season two with the goal of creating something we could be proud of," he said in a statement. "The end results have exceeded even our most ambitious goals, thanks to our continued collaboration with HBO and the impeccable work of our unparalleled cast and crew. We look forward to continuing the story of The Last of Us with season three."

In a May interview with Collider, Mazin said there is "a decent chance" the next installment will be longer than its predecessor, which aired seven episodes.

Meanwhile, co-creator Neil Druckmann described working on The Last of Us as "a career highlight."

"I am grateful for the fans’ enthusiastic and overwhelming support," he added. "Much of that success is thanks to my partner in crime, Craig Mazin, our partnership with HBO, and our team at PlayStation Productions. On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog, our cast, and crew, thank you so much for allowing us this opportunity. We're thrilled to bring you more of The Last of Us."

While the official synopsis for The Last of Us Season 3 has yet to be released, Mazin shared what fans can expect while discussing the Season 2 finale, which featured Abby's point of view when she woke up at the W.L.F.'s Seattle headquarters three days earlier.

"There is another side to this story that we have yet to really delve into," Mazin said of Abby's story during a press conference after the season finale. "There's no question that Abby is the hero of her story. Kaitlyn Dever is the hero of a story, always. If you have a Kaitlyn Dever, you use a Kaitlyn Dever. So I think where we go next, all I can say is it will always be centering somebody, whether it's Ellie and Dina, or whether it's Abby and Abby's relationship with Owen or new relationships."

The co-creator added, "If you played the game, you probably know what I'm talking about. But if you want to boil it down, everything is under the cloud or sunlight of Joel, what Joel did to Abby, and what Joel did for Ellie. That will never change."

Per Mazin, Dina and Ellie's relationship will be "the central relationship of this season."

Druckmann also highlighted Abby's importance to the next arc of the series while also teasing fans about the "epic nature to it of what's about to happen."

Following the events of the second season, the next installment will feature Dever, Bella Ramsey, Isabela Merced, Gabriel Luna, Jeffrey Wright, Spencer Lord and Ariela Barer, among others.

In addition, The Last of Us Season 3 will likely introduce new cast members to portray the characters of Yara and Lev.

Though Pedro Pascal's Joel died in the second season, Druckmann hinted at the character's potential return through flashbacks.

"This is where the story starts in earnest," Druckmann shared on the "HBO's The Last of Us Season 2" podcast. "But I will say that we do know there are some mysteries here, some gaps, in Ellie and Joel's relationships. And I think this is a spoiler because we put a trailer out there with lots of shots in it. This is not the last that we will see of Joel."

His comment resonated with what Mazin said about Pascal's character, telling fans to "never say never" to seeing Joel again.