Emmy-winning actor John Goodman, along with prolific voice talent Laura Bailey and returning star Ian Alexander, have been cast in the third and likely final season of HBO’s The Last of Us series. The announcement, revealed on September 26 — the very day the Cordyceps infection ravaged humanity in the franchise’s timeline — confirms three major talents attached to the adaptation, two of whom are making their return to Naughty Dog’s flagship zombie saga. Goodman will play Joey, an original character absent from the video games, while Alexander takes on a new role as Paco, and Bailey steps into the part of Elizabeth, a leader of the fan-favorite Seraphite cult.
The trio’s casting arrives as the show approaches what appears to be its conclusion. Season 3 is expected to air in 2027 and is widely anticipated to serve as the franchise’s finale, a development that has drawn both excitement and uncertainty from the fanbase. With the games’ creator, Neil Druckmann, having departed the project after Season 2, the future of HBO’s adaptation has never been more uncertain — yet the arrival of these familiar faces suggests the series still has plenty of heart left to give.
A New Duo on the Road
Perhaps the most surprising element of the casting news is John Goodman’s involvement. The beloved character actor, best known for roles such as Dan Conner in Roseanne and Frank Bragg in The Big Lebowski, has been slated to play Joey, a figure who was never part of the original games. Joey is joined by Paco, played by Ian Alexander, and the two are described as a “friendly duo who dub themselves ‘Heroes of the Highway.'”
HBO’s The Last of Us series. Alexander is no stranger to the franchise, having notably played Lev in The Last of Us Part 2, a young boy who Abby helps rescue from the Seraphite cult. With the Seraphites now confirmed to play a part in season 3 and Alexander stepping into a new character, it stands to reason that another actor will take over the role of Lev, most likely because Alexander has aged out of the part.
The Seraphites Return
The inclusion of the Seraphites in the third season adds significant weight to the season’s narrative, as the fan-favorite cult has become one of the most beloved elements of the HBO adaptation. Laura Bailey, who famously voiced Abby in The Last of Us Part 2 alongside Alexander, is set to play Elizabeth, one of the cult’s leaders — a role that positions her as a central figure in the season’s conflicts.
These are not the only returning actors from the original games. Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker also appeared in The Last of Us Season 1, with Johnson playing Ellie’s mother in a harrowing birth scene and Baker playing James, a member of the villainous group known as the Fireflies. Johnson and Baker provided the voice and motion-capture performances for Ellie and Joel across both games, so it is not surprising that Bailey and Alexander are also returning in some capacity. Their presence signals a continued effort to honor the source material while charting new narrative territory.
Looking Ahead
With the season expected to air in 2027, HBO has been signaling that this may well be the show’s last chapter. In a September interview with Deadline, the Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, Casey Bloys, said he “thinks [showrunner] Craig [Mazin] has planned it as the final season.” Bloys has been hinting at this since January, noting in another Deadline interview that “it certainly seems that way, but on decisions like that, we will defer to the showrunners. So you can ask them.”
As the franchise approaches its apparent end, the arrival of Goodman, Bailey, and Alexander offers a promising note of optimism. With talent of this caliber on board, there is bound to be some fantastic performances in store — though fans will be watching closely to ensure the series doesn’t tear their hearts apart quite like Nick Offerman did in the first season.
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