The Last of Us Return Hit By News of Last Minute Delay

According to a recent listing, filming for The Last of Us season three has been delayed which spells an uncertain future for the hit HBO adaptation.

Spotted by user Cheap-Recording3912 over on r/ThelastofusHBOseries, filming for the next season of The Last of Us has been delayed according to a report by the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (UBCP/ACTRA).

Just last week, The Last of Us season three was set to begin filming on 5 January 2026 and wrap up by 3 August 2026.

However, a schedule change means that the award-winning adaptation will not begin until 2 March with a 30 November deadline.

Codenamed ‘Calm Current’, we do not yet know why filming has been delayed but with season two of The Last of Us not being received as well as its first, its production may be making a few much-needed changes behind the scenes.

Additionally, with Neil Druckmann and Halley Gross both leaving the show after acting as writers for multiple episodes across both season one and season two, the future of The Last of Us lies in the hands of Craig Mazin.

HBO

With such a dramatic delay, fans have been speculating as to what could have caused it and took to Reddit to share their thoughts.

“This isn't just pushed back. They added an entire month,” user monsieurxander shared.

Maybe they finally decided to end it with a longer Season 3?”

Not only that but user SoleBrotherV2 made an important point.

“So what, early 2028 release for season 3?” They asked.

“I love these huge HBO shows, but three year gaps between seasons is just unsustainable.

You’re hemorrhaging interest in the meantime.”

Modern delays are common, calm

It does seem to be a recent occurrence for modern-day shows to have extensive gaps between seasons.

Just look at Stranger Things for example.

Although it makes sense considering the amount of work that goes into CGI and other modern-day technology, it also challenges the dedication of its fanbase.

After all, as mentioned, The Last of Us season two made some questionable decisions, leaving many fans unhappy with some of Mazin’s creative choices.

As such, it was rated significantly lower than its first season and has left fans feeling discouraged by the future of the adaptation.

It is unclear what the changes in the writing team and this recent delay means for The Last of Us season three but let us just hope it manages to capture the magic of its first season all over again.