The Last of Us Season 3 Recasts Manny: Jorge Lendeborg Jr. Steps In for Danny Ramirez

Season 3 of HBO's The Last of Us is finally rolling toward production, and we already have our first shake-up: a key role has been recast, a new face is joining the Scars side of things, and the long-term plan for the show is still being figured out. Also, brace yourself for the timeline.

Who just joined (and who left)

• Jorge Lendeborg Jr. (Spider-Man: No Way Home) is stepping in as Manny for Season 3, replacing Danny Ramirez, who exited last month because of scheduling conflicts after playing the role in Season 2.
• Clea DuVall (Poker Face) has signed on to play a Seraphite, part of the faction also known as the Scars, introduced in Season 2.

The Manny of it all

Manny is a former Firefly with a loyal-soldier vibe and a sunny exterior that covers old scars, literal and otherwise. In Season 2, he backs Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) as she hunts Joel (Pedro Pascal) to answer for the hospital massacre at the end of Season 1, when Joel rescued Ellie (Bella Ramsay). Recasting a role mid-run is never ideal, but Lendeborg is a smart pickup for a character who needs both warmth and steel.

Where we are in the world of the show

Quick refresh: this all started years after a fungal outbreak wiped out most of humanity and turned people into feral, mushroom-fueled nightmares. Joel, living in a militarized quarantine zone and partnered with Tess in the local black market, got strong-armed by the Fireflies into smuggling a kid named Ellie out of the city. That job turned into something bigger fast.

Season 2 jumps ahead five years and throws Joel and Ellie into a nastier, less predictable world, with their bond under pressure and new factions (like the Seraphites/Scars) in the mix.

Behind the curtain

Craig Mazin is running Season 3 solo. Neil Druckmann — who co-created the Naughty Dog games and was a creator, executive producer, writer, and director on the first two seasons — is stepping back from the show's creative side to focus on his video game work. That is a notable change, and it will be interesting to see how the tone evolves with Mazin fully at the wheel.

When to expect it (short answer: not soon)

Last year, HBO and HBO Max content chief Casey Bloys set expectations for the rollout: do not look for new episodes until 2027. He also said the endpoint is still up in the air.

"The series is definitely planned for 2027. Craig is still working it out whether it will be two more seasons or one more long season. It hasn't been decided yet, and I'm following Craig's lead on that."

So yes, the wait is long. For context, HBO actually renewed The Last of Us for Season 3 last April, just days before Season 2 started airing. Now the new season is gearing up, the Manny role is settled, and the Scars have a new player. The big picture plan? Still being drawn in pencil.