Bella Ramsey has spent years turning Ellie into one of TV’s most closely watched survivors. That connection matters because The Last of Us is now heading into a structural shift. HBO has renewed the series for Season 3, and the creative team has been candid about what comes next. Ellie will still be there, but she will not carry the main point of view.
Ramsey has addressed that directly in interviews. They have also offered a practical explanation for why Ellie’s role changes. Season 3 is positioned to put Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever, at the center. That choice mirrors how the story is built and how the show’s adaptation is being paced.
What follows is what we know, based on specific, on-record reporting and official statements available as of February 2026.
Season 3 is official, and HBO renewed it before Season 2 even premiered
HBO did not wait to see how Season 2 performed before making a call. The company renewed The Last of Us for a third season ahead of Season 2’s debut, a clear sign of long-term planning for the adaptation.
Warner Bros. Discovery’s press release about the renewal also pinned down Season 2’s launch details. Season 2 premiered on Sunday, April 13, 2025, in the same high-profile slot as the first season, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and Max. That announcement also listed the major Season 2 cast, including Bella Ramsey (Ellie) and Kaitlyn Dever (Abby), which matters because Abby’s role is central to how Season 3 is being discussed now.
Entertainment Weekly reported the same takeaway in plain terms. HBO renewed Season 3 just ahead of the Season 2 premiere. That timing helped set expectations early that the story would not be compressed into a single follow-up season.
That early renewal also shaped the press around Season 2. Instead of “Will this continue?” the more pointed question became “How will they split it?” The answer, based on later interviews, is that Season 3 will change perspective.
Bella Ramsey: Ellie will be in Season 3, “but not a whole bunch”
As speculation grew about how much Ellie would appear in the next season, Ramsey cut through it with a straightforward statement. In a Variety interview published May 25, 2025, Ramsey said they had not read scripts, but expected to be involved.
“I haven’t seen any scripts, but yes, I do expect that,” Ramsey said. Then they added the line that has been quoted widely since: “I think that I’m going to be there, but not a whole bunch.”
That is not a vague tease. It is an on-record expectation from the actor playing Ellie that the role becomes smaller in Season 3. Ramsey also connected that change to the story’s shifting focus. They suggested Ellie’s reduced presence is “most likely” because the narrative will put Abby in the foreground, and they described the team as having a “rough idea” they cannot share.
For viewers who bonded with Ellie as the emotional anchor of Season 1, and then watched her step into more responsibility in Season 2, that shift is the point. Season 3 is not removing Ellie. It is asking audiences to hold onto her differently.
The creators have said you will see both Ellie and Abby, but Abby becomes the lead
Importantly, Ramsey’s comments did not land in isolation. Around the same period, the show’s leaders also addressed the question of who is “in” Season 3, and how much. Their language was careful, but consistent.
At a press conference reported in May 2025 coverage, co-creator Craig Mazin said, “We haven’t seen the last of Kaitlyn Dever … and we haven’t seen the last of Bella Ramsey.”
That is a useful baseline statement. It confirms continuity for both characters. It also signals a deliberate effort to keep the audience oriented as the show changes lanes.
Neil Druckmann, the game’s creative director and a co-creator of the HBO series, added another key piece of framing. Even if viewers do not see certain characters at times, he suggested their influence remains, saying their “presence will be there throughout.”
Then, later in 2025, the messaging became even more direct. Variety reported that at an Emmys FYC event, Mazin said Season 3 would be “starring” Kaitlyn Dever.
Placed side by side, those statements draw a clear map. Both Ellie and Abby continue. Abby becomes the center. Ellie becomes, in Ramsey’s words, present but not dominant.
Why Ellie’s screen time changes: Season 3 is built around a perspective shift
The simplest way to understand Season 3’s setup is to focus on structure, not spoilers. Multiple outlets have described a reset in viewpoint that aligns with how the story is told.
Collider, for example, described the shift as a “radical” one, pointing to the move into “Seattle: Day One” and the rewind-like reframing that comes with it. In practice, that kind of narrative design changes who carries scenes and who becomes a looming off-screen force.
People also summarized the big picture in terms of Abby’s side of the story, including the larger conflict context around her world. The exact scope of what will be adapted episode-to-episode remains under wraps, but the reporting converges on the same guiding idea. Season 3 is not “more of Season 2.” It is a pivot to a different vantage point.
That is where Ramsey’s “not a whole bunch” line becomes easier to interpret. It is not necessarily a reflection of Ellie’s importance. It is a reflection of how the show plans to parcel out the story.
Season 2 context matters: Ramsey embraced the weight of leading, including the physical demands
Part of what makes Season 3’s change feel like a “challenge” is what Season 2 asked of Ramsey. Reporting around Season 2 includes repeated references to workload, responsibility, and physical preparation.
In a Season 2 interview with TheWrap, Ramsey addressed the experience of carrying more of the season’s leadership on-screen. “I loved it,” they said. “I love the responsibility.”
That quote is useful because it frames Ramsey’s approach as proactive rather than anxious. They did not describe the weight as a burden. They described it as something they welcomed.
Other reporting also drilled into the physical side of the job. In an Associated Press-style Q&A carried by Watermark Out News, Ramsey discussed stunt work and the reality of training for a harsher world, saying they got “battered and bruised,” while also emphasizing the stunt team’s effort to protect them.
That same Watermark piece included a timeline detail that helps contextualize the long gaps between seasons. It referenced finishing the first season around June 2022, then returning to production again in early 2024.
If Season 2 was built around Ellie stepping forward, Season 3 asks for a different rhythm. The challenge is not simply “less to do.” It is a shift from being the engine of the story to being a presence inside someone else’s.
A key thematic signpost: Mazin has talked about Ellie as a protagonist “until Ellie is not”
One of the more revealing public descriptions of the show’s storytelling approach came from Craig Mazin in a Los Angeles Times piece dated around Season 2’s launch window. Mazin discussed how the series treats protagonists and moral certainty, and he framed Ellie’s place in the narrative as something that can change.
The LAT reported Mazin describing Ellie as a protagonist “until Ellie is not,” as part of a broader conversation about refusing simple hero-villain labels.
That line does not mean Ellie disappears. However, it does align with what Ramsey later said about reduced time, and with Mazin’s later statement about Season 3 “starring” Dever. It also clarifies intent. This is not a bait-and-switch. It is a design choice the creators have been previewing in interviews.
Behind the scenes shift: Neil Druckmann stepped back, and Ramsey said his voice still matters
As Season 3 planning moved into view, another development landed in reporting: Neil Druckmann stepping away from day-to-day involvement with the HBO series after Season 2, before “meaningful work” began on Season 3.
Coverage summarized Druckmann’s decision in those terms, and Ramsey addressed what it meant. According to Yahoo Entertainment’s write-up, Ramsey said Druckmann’s voice does not “just go away.” They emphasized that the show still honors what he created, and that he would be missed on set.
For Season 3, that matters in two directions. First, the show still has Craig Mazin as the key creative lead. Second, the reporting suggests the series will be moving forward with a slightly different internal dynamic than it had during the first two seasons.
It is not a reason to predict creative outcomes. It is, however, a real contextual fact. Fans tracking “faithfulness” questions often focus on writing choices. Leadership changes belong in that conversation too, as long as they are reported carefully.
When Season 3 might arrive: reported plans point to 2027, with production expected in 2026
As of February 2026, there is still no HBO-announced premiere date for Season 3. However, multiple outlets have reported a target year.
ELLE reported that HBO executive Casey Bloys told Variety the show is “definitely planned for 2027.” That same item noted Mazin would decide whether the story finishes across two more seasons, or “one more long season.”
People’s Season 3 coverage also pointed toward a similar window. It reported production expected in 2026 and a release expected in 2027.
In other words, the reporting trend points to a longer wait. That wait also fits what audiences already experienced between the first seasons, although Season 3’s exact schedule remains unconfirmed publicly.
Early Season 3 logistics: a Manny recast, and a single showrunner structure
Two practical updates reported in early 2026 give a glimpse of Season 3’s production reality. One is a casting change. The other is an organizational one.
Entertainment Weekly reported that Season 3 recast Manny. According to EW, Jorge Lendeborg Jr. replaced Danny Ramirez because of scheduling conflicts.
That kind of recast often signals a role with more to do. It also fits the broader expectation that Season 3 will spend significant time with Abby’s circle.
EW also reported that Craig Mazin is serving as the series’ sole showrunner in this period.
Again, that is not a quality verdict. It is a cleanly reportable structural change, and it helps explain why Season 3 coverage frequently stresses Mazin’s role in deciding the show’s final shape.
What Happens Next: Ellie remains, but Season 3 asks viewers to hold the story differently
The most solid, specific thing we can say about Ellie in Season 3 comes from Ramsey themselves. Ellie is expected to appear, “but not a whole bunch.”
Meanwhile, Mazin has publicly framed Season 3 as starring Kaitlyn Dever. That is a clear signal about narrative center of gravity.
So the “challenge” for Ramsey’s Ellie is not just story-based. It is also audience-based. The show will test whether viewers can stay emotionally invested when the camera turns, the timeline reframes, and Ellie becomes less constant on-screen.
What we do not have yet are scripts, episode counts, or an official premiere date. Reported plans point to 2027, with production expected in 2026.
Until HBO shares more, the best guide remains the on-record messaging. Ellie is still part of the story. Abby is poised to lead it. And Ramsey, after embracing the “responsibility” of Season 2, is preparing for a season that challenges the bond in a different way.
