The Last of Us Star Responds to Season 3’s Big Change

HBO’s The Last of Us is facing a major behind-the-cameras change ahead of Season 3. Just after the Season 2 finale in May, the video game-based show underwent a creative shake-up as both Neil Druckmann and Halley Gross announced their departures. The pair contributed extensively to Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II, which is set to continue to serve as the source material for The Last of Us Season 3 as the series shifts narrative focus to Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby. As fans continue to express concern for the future of the series amid the surprise exits, Isabel Merced, who portrays Dina, the girlfriend of Bella Ramsey’s Ellie, expressed trust in the process.

“Halley was a big part of the game, and the reason why Dina was such a fleshed-out character, and why that love between Dina and Ellie was so beautiful. And I was really looking forward to working with them more, but I understand that they have their own projects,” Merced told TVLine in a recent interview. “I don’t know the full story, but I know that I trust in the team, and that they’re making the best decisions, cause at the end of the day everyone just cares about this.”

Druckmann and Gross announced their exits from the show in separate statements on July 2, 2025. Gross served as a writer on The Last of Us series, while Druckmann was attached as writer, showrunner, and co-director alongside Craig Mazin. The departing duo were also both co-writers on The Last of Us Part II, with Druckmann also serving as director on the video game.

The upcoming third season of the HBO show will continue to adapt the second game, putting an increased focus on Abby and her motivations behind her killing of Pedro Pascal’s Joel, a creative choice that was met with mixed reactions in the video game. The shock exits of Druckmann and Gross, cutting two major connections to the show’s source material, have led to concern that The Last of Us will lose authenticity, with any deviation from the game potentially facing even harsher scrutiny in a seasons that is already set to adapt one of the most polarizing elements of the game. Merced, however, expressed her faith in Mazin guiding the show solo.

“Moving forward, I’m going to keep in touch with them. I’m definitely going to keep in touch with them, so if I have any concerns as a fan of the game, originally, I would definitely bring them up,” she said. “I’m not involved with the behind-the-scenes of it all, I wish I was, cause I’m a control freak, but I trust in Craig.”

The Last of Us Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on HBO Max. Season 3 is not expected to premiere until 2027.