Danny Ramirez will not return for the third season of The Last of Us due to scheduling conflicts.
In the second season of HBO’s hit apocalypse drama, Ramirez played Manny, who aided Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) as she sought to take revenge on Joel (Pedro Pascal).
However, Variety reports that he will not return for the next installment.
Ramirez is best known for playing Joaquin Torres/Falcon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
He appeared as the superhero character in the 2021 series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and this year’s Captain America: Brave New World.
He will also appear in the upcoming Marvel epic Avengers: Doomsday, as well as playing a supporting role opposite Kelvin Harrison Jr as Jean-Michel Basquiat in the art biopic Samo Lives.
The Last of Us is set to undergo significant changes in its third season. Back in June, co-creator Neil Druckmann confirmed that the series will switch focus to follow Dever’s character Abby.
Fans of the video game the HBO series is adapted from had already guessed that this would be the case, as the game features a similar shift in perspective.
Speaking at an Emmys “For Your Consideration” event in Los Angeles, Druckmann said: “I can’t believe that they let us structure the series in this way, meaning like, we just ended Season 2, and Season 3 is going to be starring — spoiler alert — Kaitlyn.”
He continued: “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.”
*Major spoilers for The Last of Us Season 2 follow*
Dever’s character Abby is controversial for fans of the game and show as she killed the story’s earlier protagonist Joel (Pedro Pascal).
Speaking at the event via video link, Dever said: “I guess the controversy surrounding Abby was never really a concern for me, just given my first meeting with Craig and Neil and how wonderful they are and how talented they are.”
She continued: “I’ve never felt so carried on a set in my life… it was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had as an actor, just because it really, really felt like such a team effort.”
No release date has yet been set for the third season, but Druckmann and Mazin have said they believe a fourth season will be necessary to complete the story.
The season two finale saw a long-awaited confrontation between Ellie and Abby, but was branded “lackluster” and a “mess” by some fans on social media.
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