'The Last Of Us' showrunner wants season 4 to happen — 'there's no way to complete this narrative in a third season'

Ellie (Bella Ramsey) being held by Joel (Pedro Pascal) in "The Last Of Us" season 2 episode 6 — (Image credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO)

Going into “The Last Of Us” season 2 finale this weekend, we already know that we’re returning to this post-apocalyptic drama for a third chapter.

Ahead of the show’s return, HBO confirmed that “The Last Of Us” had already been renewed for a third outing.

We’d already heard rumblings that the show would be sticking around — HBO exec Francesca Orsi said it was “looking like four seasons” would be required to do the story justice in February — and a new interview makes that plan sound even more rock-solid than before.

Speaking to Collider, “The Last Of Us” showrunner Craig Mazin feels like the show’s going to need more room to breathe, as he rather conclusively said, “there’s no way to complete this narrative in a third season.”

Craig Mazin believes ‘The Last Of Us’ needs four seasons to finish the story

Pedro Pascal as Joel in "The Last of Us" season 2 — (Image credit: Max/Twitter (X))

Asked about the length of the next season, Mazin had the following to say: “I think there’s a decent chance that Season 3 will be longer than Season 2, just because the manner of that narrative and the opportunities it affords us are a little different.

“The thing about Joel’s death is that it’s so impactful. It’s such a narrative nuclear bomb that it’s hard to wander away from it. We can’t really take a break and move off to the side and do a Bill and Frank story. I’m not sure that will necessarily be true for Season 3.

"I think we’ll have a little more room there. But certainly, there’s no way to complete this narrative in a third season. Hopefully, we’ll earn our keep enough to come back and finish it in a fourth. That’s the most likely outcome,” he added.

Granted, this isn’t too much of a surprise, either; back in February, Mazin and “The Last Of Us” co-creator Neil Druckmann coyly danced around a four-season arc while chatting to Entertainment Weekly.

Bella Ramsey in The Last of Us season 2 — (Image credit: HBO)

“I think it’s pretty likely that our story will extend past a season 3,” Mazin said at the time. “How far past? I can't say. And that's not to say that there are not other stories that could be told, but this story is the one that Neil and I are telling.”

Druckmann, by comparison, simply said the team “have a plan” for the show at that time, chiming in with “we couldn’t tell you right now exactly how many episodes or how many seasons it would take to get there.”

So, while none of this officially constitutes a season 4 renewal from the folks at Warner Bros. Discovery, all signs point to the fact that Ellie, Joel and Abby’s story will be stretching beyond the third season. As and when official confirmation comes in, we’ll be sure to share that news.

“The Last Of Us” season 2 finale airs this Sunday on HBO and Max at 9 p.m. ET. If you’re watching in the UK, you can watch from 2 a.m. on Monday, May 14 on Sky Atlantic and the Sky-backed streamer, NOW.

If you’re looking to plan your post-finale viewing, check out our round-up of the best HBO Max shows for tons more recommendations to help you make the most of that streaming subscription.

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Martin is a Streaming Writer at Tom’s Guide, covering all things movies and TV. If it’s in the theaters or available to stream somewhere, he’s probably watched it… especially if it has a dragon in it. Before joining the team, he was a Staff Writer at What To Watch where he wrote about a broad range of shows that stretched from "Doctor Who" and "The Witcher" to "Bridgerton" and "Love Island". When he’s not watching the next must-see movie or show, he’s probably still in front of a screen playing massive RPGs, reading, spending a fortune on TCGs, or watching the NFL.

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