Aquaman and The Conjuring star Patrick Wilson is no stranger to horror and science fiction, and he'll get to sink his teeth into both with The Last of Us Season 3.
According to The InSneider, the actor has joined the HBO series in a key role. While not confirmed, it's believed that he'll play Jerry Anderson, the father of Kaytlin Dever's Abby. With Pedro Pascal's Joel Miller no longer part of The Last of Us, it makes sense that the cable network has turned to a big-name actor as its new male co-lead.
Season 3 will focus primarily on Abby's story, both in the present and the time she spent with her father before he was gunned down by Joel (Jerry was the surgeon the protagonist murdered in the Season 1 finale, when he saved Ellie).
Wilson will likely appear in multiple episodes of The Last of Us, which recently saw Spider-Man franchise star Jorge Lendeborg Jr. take over the role of Manny from Avengers: Doomsday's Danny Ramirez.
Back to Wilson, and he's best known for his roles in Watchmen, The A-Team, The Conjuring Universe, and the Insidious movies. He played Ocean Master in Aquaman and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, and on television, counts A Gifted Man and Fargo among his credits.
HBO CEO Casey Bloys has confirmed that, despite Season 4 speculation, The Last of Us will end with Season 3. "It certainly seems that way, but on decisions like that, we will defer to the showrunners. So you can ask them," he said last month.
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.