With two acclaimed games and a multi-award winning HBO series, The Last of Us has become one of PlayStation’s flagship licenses. Since the open end of The Last of Us Part II in 2020, players are wondering: will there be a Part III and who will play the leading role?
Officially, Naughty Dog has not yet announced anything and intends to concentrate its forces on its new science fiction license Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. But between declarations of Neil Druckmaninsider leaks and clues on the casting side, a name systematically comes up for the main character of The Last of Us Part 3 : Ellie.
The Last of Us Part 3: what are Neil Druckmann and the studio really saying?
In the documentary Grounded II: The Making of The Last of Us Part II broadcast in 2024, Neil Druckman confided that he had finally found the concept of a sequel. “For years, I couldn’t find this concept. But recently, that changed (…) I have this concept which, for me, is as exciting as 1, as exciting as 2(…) So I have the impression that there is probably one more chapter to this story”, he explained, quoted by PSU.
A year later, in an interview reported by Twisted Voxel, he nevertheless assured that The Last of Us Part 3 was “not in development” and that the studio remained focused on Intergalactic. At the end of March 2026, however, he revived speculation by posting on Instagram an old sketch of Joel And Ellieaccompanied by the message “Been a wild journey (…) especially the few stops that remain on the road ahead”, noted by TechRadar.
The Last of Us Part 3: Ellie really replaced by new heroes?
In summer 2023, a ResetEra post detailing five survivors nicknamed “scavengers” – Luke, Mason, Val, Ezra And Grace – installed in a Victorian house on the outskirts of town, panicked the community. Taken up in particular by the Geek Journalthis casting was seen as proof that Ellie would no longer be the main character of The Last of Us Part III.
Naughty Dog Magazine however, recalled that this type of sheet also fits perfectly with the multiplayer standalone The Last of Us Onlinefinally canceled, and that it is risky to deduce from this the absence ofEllie in the upcoming single-player game. Above all, the insider ViewerAnongenerally well informed about the license, affirmed on X, cited by Jeuxvideo.com, that “Ellie is at least as important in The Last of Us Part III as in Part II”. It’s difficult to see anything other than a role as protagonist or, at worst, co-protagonist.
The Last of Us Part 3: which face for Ellie’s last adventure?
For many players, The Last of Us is above all the story ofElliewho we have followed since the age of 14 between family losses, trauma of Joelrevenge and mutilation. A possible The Last of Us Part 3 is therefore perceived as the “last chapter” of its arc, with the hope of a form of peace rather than a new descent into hell.
On the production side, the actress Adeline Chetail indicated on Naughty Dog Mag that she “would not let go of the most beautiful role of [sa] life” and that she is ready to come back to double Ellie in a possible Part III.