HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us has one of the best casts on television, but one key character will look a little different when the series returns to the cable network for its third season.
Nexus Point News (via GameFragger.com) has revealed that Captain America: Brave New World star Danny Ramirez role as Manny will be recast for The Last of Us Season 3. With casting for the season already underway, a new actor is expected to be chosen in the coming weeks or months.
The reason for Ramirez's departure isn't clear. However, the site theorises, "Although his appearance in Avengers: Secret Wars is currently unconfirmed, his commitments for the Marvel Cinematic Universe could have posed a potential conflict."
Ramirez plays Joaquin Torres in the MCU and now serves as the new Falcon after Sam Wilson took over the mantle of Captain America from Steve Rogers and John Walker. The actor is confirmed to appear in next December's Avengers: Doomsday.
Manny only had a relatively minor role in The Last of Us Season 2, but should get much more to do in Season 3. Given Manny's lack of screentime and the lengthy gap between seasons, the casting change isn't likely to have too much of an impact.
The Last of Us Season 2 proved to be predictably divisive. There was always a risk that viewers would walk away from the series in the wake of Joel's death, and that played out in the second of seven episodes (viewership for the Season 2 finale drew 55% fewer viewers than Season 1). Other changes from the game have also divided opinions, including what many feel has been the watering down of Ellie's violent nature.
Season 3 has already been confirmed and will shift focus to Kaitlyn Dever's Abby before the story presumably concludes with a fourth season. Whether there's enough material in the game for that is debatable, but HBO seems intent on stretching the two games out over as many episodes as possible.
One of the biggest changes when The Last of Us returns is the departure of co-showrunner Neil Druckmann, leaving Craig Mazin in sole control of the series.
Explaining that it was "quite challenging to be as involved as a co-showrunner on Season 1 and Season 2, while running a studio and working and directing and writing a game," Druckmann confirmed in September that he decided to step down just as work was beginning on Season 3.
"I looked at what's in front of me, what would the next season might look like, and with all the various Last of Us things I'm working on - not just the show - with all the various games I'm working on," he said. "The biggest one that takes up most of my time is Intergalactic: The Heretic Profit, our next big IP for Naughty Dog and PlayStation. It felt like I could better serve all of my responsibilities if I stayed at a higher level."
The Last of Us Season 3 will likely premiere on HBO in 2027.