The Last of Us Part 3 rumors circle as casting details reportedly leak, and Ellie will be "as important" as before

Naughty Dog may be keeping tight-lipped about the future of its groundbreaking post-apocalyptic series, but rumors regarding The Last of Us Part 3 continue to swirl.

The latest comes from DanielRPK (via Eurogamer), and suggests that the third instalment will introduce us to "a group of scavengers surviving on the outskirts of a post-apocalyptic city" in a Victorian house that serves as their base. We've also got details on five members of this group, which, according to the leaker, Naughty Dog is currently "looking to cast."

The first is Lucas, who's said to be an "affable" guy but "develops a relationship with another young scavenger and will have a turn that shows his dark side." Val is the leader of the group, while Ezra wants to muscle in on her position. Then there's Mason, a former soldier who "must choose between his loyalty to Ezra and the house" after Val gets put in charge. Last up is Gracie, and all we know about her is that she's aged 18-25.

Naughty Dog is planning for Ellie to have just as much of a role in the next game as she did in The Last of Us Part 2, according to leaker ViewerAnon, as well as introducing us to new characters.

In a tweet, they wrote: "Look, it's early, story details are tweaked and everything is potentially up in the air to be changed, but I assure you I've heard Ellie is at least as important in LAST OF US PART III as she was in PART II."

In another tweet, they reiterated that a third instalment is currently in the works and mentioned that motion capture will get underway at some point this year. "All I can say is I've been very vocal for quite awhile that THE LAST OF US PART III is in development and others are finally noticing," they said. "Major filming is happening this year."

While the new characters and the power dynamics within their group sound intriguing, and more time with Ellie can only be a good thing, as with any rumor, it's worth taking all of this with a grain of salt until we get official confirmation from Naughty Dog. 

Rumors that The Last of Us Part 3 is "in production" surfaced late last year, and back in January, director Neil Druckmann teased the possibility of a follow-up, saying "I think there's more story to tell."

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