The Last of Us season 3's latest casting hints at a chunkier backstory for Yara and Lev

The Last of Us season 3 is adding a Sinners star to its cast, and it might give an opportunity to flesh out more of Yara and Lev's story.

As per Variety, Li Jun Li will play Miriam, the Seraphite mother of Yara and Lev. In The Last of Us Part 2, the character remained unnamed – but had a pivotal role in kickstarting Yara and Lev's journey due to her actions.

We already know that Michelle Mao will play Yara and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew's Kyriana Kratter will play Lev. The inclusion of Li, who more than held her own in acclaimed company in Sinners, should give one of the slightly more undercooked passages of Part 2 – that of Lev's admission and exile – some extra narrative juice in what could be the final season of the HBO show.

"The series is definitely planned for 2027. Craig [Mazin] is still working it out whether it will be two more seasons or one more long season," HBO boss Casey Bloys told Variety. "It hasn't been decided yet, and I'm following Craig's lead on that."

Whether it's the end or not, the upcoming season (which will focus on Kaitlyn Dever's Abby and her side of the revenge quest), will be "longer" than the divisive second season according to creator Craig Mazin, who adds there will also be "more bang for your buck."

Co-creator and Naughty Dog director Neil Druckmann, who departed the show after two seasons, is holding out hope that the third season will be as "faithful" to the games as the first season was.

Next up for Craig Mazin is a Baldur's Gate 3 TV show, with the project having been announced over at HBO in February. Druckmann, meanwhile, could be hinting at The Last of Us' exciting game future after cryptically teasing "the few stops that remain on the road ahead."

For more, check out the new TV shows you should be excited about this year.