The Last of Us Season 3 Snags Sinners Star for HBO Series Cast

If you thought HBO’s The Last of Us already had a murderers’ row of cast members, well, guess what—another familiar face is joining the apocalypse party for Season 3. And yeah, there’s a new character dropping in from a very different TV universe.

Quick Recap: Where Are We Now?

For anyone living under a clicker-infested rock, The Last of Us blew up on HBO when it premiered in January 2023. You’ve probably heard it’s based on the critically acclaimed PlayStation games by Naughty Dog, with Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann steering the ship. Or, at least, both of them were—Druckmann has officially stepped back, along with writers Halley Gross and Bo Shim. Mazin’s flying solo as showrunner for Season 3, so if anything feels a little different, now you know why.

The Players: Returning and New Faces

As for the cast, here’s who HBO already confirmed for the next round of fungus-fueled misery and drama:

• Bella Ramsey as Ellie (still the emotional core)
• Kaitlyn Dever as Abby (fans, prepare for debates online—again)
• Gabriel Luna as Tommy Miller
• Isabela Merced as Dina
• Young Mazino as Jesse
• Spencer Lord as Owen
• Tati Gabrielle as Nora
• Ariela Barer as Mel
• Michelle Mao as Yara
• Kyriana Kratter as Lev
• Jeffrey Wright as Isaac Dixon
• Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as Manny
• Jason Ritter as Hanley
• Patrick Wilson as Jerry
• Clea DuVall as... well, Clea DuVall’s in there somewhere

So, Who’s New?

Fresh out of Sinners, Li Jun Li is stepping into the world of spore zombies. Variety reports she'll play Miriam, a Seraphite (that’s one of the more intense religious factions, if you haven’t played the games) and—the plot thickens—the mother of Yara and Lev. These siblings play a big role in the ‘Seattle’ storyline, especially as Abby comes crashing into their lives right when Ellie’s revenge plan starts spinning out of control.

In other words: expect more emotional complexity and probably a lot of people screaming at their TVs (again).

If Li Jun Li’s name sounds familiar, it might be from her turn as Grace Show in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which dropped last year. She’s also got credits in Ricki and the Flash (2015), Babylon (2022), and she’ll be popping up in the upcoming Alma and the Wolf (2025). She’s even lined up for the in-development Spider-Noir series as Cat Hardy. Not exactly a rookie.

Behind the Scenes

The Last of Us is still a team-up between HBO and Sony Pictures TV, with PlayStation Productions, Word Games, Mighty Mint, and Naughty Dog all getting their logos on the thing. On the executive producer side, you’ve got Carolyn Strauss, Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O'Connor, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Evan Wells. So, no shortage of execs shouting into Zoom calls.

Oh, and if you’re wondering about a premiere date? Don’t hold your breath—there’s nothing official out of HBO Max yet. The pandemic might be over, but long waits for prestige TV are clearly not.

'She will play Miriam, a Seraphite and the mother of Lev and Yara.'

Bottom line: more drama is coming, the cast is stacked (again), and if you loved or hated the video game storylines, buckle up for a fresh round of takes. I’ll update when HBO finally coughs up a release date.