The fans of the hit HBO series The Last of Us have been treated to a great surprise lately: HBO officially renewed the series for season 3—before season 2 even hits the air. While devoted fans were thrilled with the news, The Last of Us season 3 news update comes with a tinge of skepticism.

According to creators and performers, much of season 3 is still in production, and it might be years before we have the pleasure of watching it on our television screens.

At a May 23 press conference, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann confirmed season 3 is coming, but they were up-front about where it stands: writing isn't finished, and big story choices remain to be made. When asked how often fan favorites Ellie, Dina, Tommy, and Jesse would be seen, both creators admitted they're working out that detail.

Fueling rumors further, the Ellie actress Bella Ramsey confirmed that she had not seen any scripts yet. "I haven't seen any scripts, but yes, I do expect that," Ramsey answered. "I think that I'm going to be there, but not a whole bunch. We've had conversations about that. I sort of have a rough idea of what it's going to be, but I can't tell you."

This is consistent with the overall sentiment that season 3 won't be here anytime soon, even if it was renewed too early.

A New Lead: Abby Steals the Show

One of the most notable changes in the new season is the casting swap of the lead characters. Like in The Last of Us Part II video game, the storytelling will change from Ellie to Abby—played by Kaitlyn Dever.

Dever, working on Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, will be playing a daring and emotionally charged role when filming begins.

This series twist offers us a new perspective and new character development possibilities, but also informs us about why Ellie might not be in season 3's main position.

Bigger Show, Longer Timeline

Craig Mazin also described the production challenges in store. "It's more difficult to produce, because every episode gets massive," he told Variety. "You don't want to wait four years for a 17-episode finale, or whatever it is." The word is out: the production team prefers to deliver high-quality production, regardless of whether it delays the release calendar.

That is, the fans will be waiting patiently—especially considering that the showrunners emphasized quality over speed. So, although this The Last of Us season 3 news update is optimistic, it also sets us up for a long wait in coming.

What We Know So Far

Here is a quick summary of the latest The Last of Us season 3 news update:

·         HBO announced season 3 prior to season 2's release.

·         Scripting is at the beginning stage, and nothing is complete.

·         Ellie (Bella Ramsey) will return, but not as the main character.

·         Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) is the new star.

·         No release date announced yet, and production will be long.

Final Thoughts

The pre-emption renewal of Season 3 of The Last of Us demonstrates HBO's faith in the future of the show. But for now, the show is still being developed, and lead cast members have not even seen scripts.

The fans who are impatient to know what happens next after the cliffhanger ending of Season 2 will have to wait, maybe for years. But this news about The Last of Us season 3 promises us that something massive is coming our way—and when it does, it will rock everything we thought we knew about this gut-wrenching, post-apocalyptic world.