The Last of Us cast gets major shake up ahead of season 3

While the world waits in anticipation for the third season of The Last of Us, it's now been confirmed that there's set to be some major casting changes on the horizon.

It's been announced that actor Danny Ramirez, who stars as Manny in the hit HBO series, will not be returning for season 3. According to Deadline, Ramirez has dropped out of season 3 filming due to scheduling conflicts.

Best known for his role as Joaquin Torres/The Falcon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ramirez is set to reprise that role in Avengers: Doomsday, which is set for release next year. Ramirez is also set to star in Jean-Michel Basquiat biopic Samo Lives as well as sports drama Baton, a film produced by David and Victoria Beckham that he'll also make his directorial debut on.

So, it seems like it's set to be a very busy period for Ramirez and natural for the actor to step away from The Last of Us if schedules can't be aligned. The role of Manny will be recast but as for who will take on the role in Ramirez's absence, we'll just have to wait and see.

Manny was one of the last characters we saw in the final closing moments of the second season as he awoke Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) from a sleep, with the title card revealing that we'll be going back in time to follow Abby's story in season 3. A fellow firefly, Manny is part of the core group around Abby who helped her get revenge on Joel (Pedro Pascal).

While no plot or cast details have been unveiled, fans can anticipate that Manny will of course make several regular appearances in season 3 while we see how Abby's tale unfolds.

Ramirez isn't the only shake up to happen for season 3 as it was previously announced that co-creator Neil Druckmann and co-writer Halley Gross have officially stepped back from the series.
Speaking to Variety about his decision to step away as co-showrunner, Druckmann said: "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."

Read more:

• Pluribus season 2 gets release update from series creator – and it's not good news
• Stranger Things season 5 star teases “resolution” for key character in “emotional” finale

While there have been some changes behind-the-scenes, the third season is eyeing up a 2027 release, with Dever taking on the lead role this time round. The cliffhanger of season 2 was also an intentional way of setting up season 3, according to series co-creator Craig Mazin.

He revealed to Collider previously: "Now, we’re actually in more of a traditional cliffhanger-y mode, where you’re telling a story, and then you end the season with something that says, 'Whoa, this is going to change a whole bunch of things, and we’ll see you when we get back and pick it up from there.'

"We ask ourselves a lot of questions and we think about what we ought to do when we think about what the narrative that exists affords us and that we should do. I’m always thinking about, what are the things that only The Last of Us does? Let’s do those as much as we can.

"And then, you go for it and you make your decisions and mostly just try as best as you can to think about the audience experience and how they’re going to feel when they arrive at the end of something. Hopefully, we set them up to want to return when we come back for the next run."

The Last of Us seasons 1 and 2 are available on Sky Atlantic and NOW with an Entertainment Membership.

Add The Last of Us to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.

Check out more of our Sci-fi coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on this week. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.