When The Last of Us returns for season 3, Danny Ramirez won’t be included in the cast. The Marvel actor played Manny in the second season of the HBO series, “a loyal soldier whose sunny outlook belies the pain of old wounds and a fear that he will fail his friends when they need him most.” Unfortunately, he’s had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. The role will be recast.
Manny is a former member of the Fireflies who assists Abby (Kaityln Dever) with seeking revenge on Joel (Pedro Pascal) for the massacre he committed at the Firefly hospital while rescuing Ellie (Bella Ramsay).
Danny Ramirez Isn’t The Only One Not Returning for Season 3
The Last of Us video game creator Neil Druckmann also co-created the TV series with Craig Mazin. He wrote and directed several episodes across the first two seasons, but he announced earlier this year that he would be stepping back for the third season.
“I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from my creative involvement in The Last of Us on HBO. With work completed on season 2 and before any meaningful work starts on season 3, now is the right time for me to transition my complete focus to Naughty Dog and its future projects, including writing and directing our exciting next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, along with my responsibilities as Studio Head and Head of Creative,” he said in a statement. “Co-creating the show has been a career highlight. It’s been an honor to work alongside Craig Mazin to executive produce, direct and write on the last two seasons. I’m deeply thankful of the thoughtful approach and dedication the talented cast and crew took to adapting The Last of Us Part I and their continued adaptation of The Last of Us Part II.”
Ramirez Has Been Busy in the MCU
Ramirez made his MCU debut as Joaquin Torres/Falcon in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. He returned for Captain America: Brave New World and will also appear in Avengers: Doomsday, which is set to hit theaters on December 18, 2026.
The Last of Us Season 3 Will Shift Focus
The new season will shift the story’s focus toward Abby, which will also mean more of Manny. “I can’t believe that [HBO] let us structure the series in this way,” Druckmann said earlier this year. “Meaning like we just ended season two, and season three is going to be starring — spoiler alert — Kaitlyn. I was sure that they wouldn’t let us do this when we started adapting this, but they’ve leaned into what makes, I believe, the story special. And allowed us not only the time but the creative freedom to be able to take these swings, and I think the audience really appreciates that.“
Who should take over the role of Manny in season 3?
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