John Goodman, Ian Alexander and Laura Bailey have joined the third season of HBO’s The Last of Us, according to an original casting report from Deadline. Their roles add two characters created for the series and another leader to the Seraphite faction as the adaptation moves deeper into The Last of Us Part II.
Goodman will play Joey, while Alexander will play Paco. Deadline describes the characters as a friendly duo who call themselves the “Heroes of the Highway.” The report does not explain where the pair fit into the season or identify a direct counterpart from the games.
Bailey will play Elizabeth, one of the leaders of the Seraphites. That religious group is central to the Seattle conflict in Part II, but HBO has not announced the season’s plot or explained how Elizabeth will connect to the game’s existing characters.
Two game actors return in different roles
Alexander and Bailey already have deep ties to Naughty Dog’s series. Alexander voiced Lev in The Last of Us Part II, while Bailey performed Abby. They are not carrying those characters into live action: Kyriana Kratter plays Lev in the HBO adaptation, and Kaitlyn Dever plays Abby.
The production has used both approaches with performers from the games. Merle Dandridge and Jeffrey Wright reprised Marlene and Isaac in live action after voicing them, while Ashley Johnson moved from voicing Ellie to playing Ellie’s mother in the first-season finale. Alexander and Bailey now join the second group, returning to the same world as different people.
