John Goodman Joins The Last of Us Season 3 — Alongside Two Actors From the Games

HBO has added John Goodman, Ian Alexander and Laura Bailey to the cast of The Last of Us, the network confirmed Saturday. Goodman will play Joey, one half of a travelling pair who call themselves the "Heroes of the Highway." Alexander plays the other half, Paco. Neither character appears in Naughty Dog's games. Bailey joins as Elizabeth, a leader within the Seraphites, the religious sect that features heavily in The Last of Us Part II. The casting of Alexander and Bailey is the more striking of the two announcements for players of the games. Alexander originated the role of Lev in Part II, and Bailey played Abby, a performance that won her honours at both The Game Awards and the BAFTAs. Both characters are already cast on the show, Kyriana Kratter plays Lev, Kaitlyn Dever plays Abby, meaning the two performers return in entirely separate parts. Bailey's, notably, places her among the leadership of the faction Abby is at war with for much of the game. The announcement landed on September 26, the date the cordyceps outbreak begins in both the games and the series, which HBO and Sony have marked as Outbreak Day for several years. The three join a substantially expanded season three ensemble that includes Peter Sarsgaard, Patrick Wilson as Abby's father Jerry, Jason Ritter, Clea DuVall, Li Jun Li, Michelle Mao and Jorge Lendeborg Jr., who takes over as Manny from Danny Ramirez following a scheduling conflict. Bella Ramsey, Dever, Isabela Merced, Gabriel Luna and Jeffrey Wright return. Season three is the first with Craig Mazin as sole showrunner, following Neil Druckmann's departure from the adaptation. It is expected to air in 2027 and has been widely reported as the series' last. Reporting from Variety, Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/the-last-of-us-season-3-john-goodman-1236710364/