The Last of Us: Ashley Johnson wants this “terrifying” concept from show in Part 3

Ashley Johnson, who portrays Ellie in The Last of Us games and starred as her mother Anna in the show, thinks that one terrifying change the show made should be incorporated into the third game.

The Last of Us, which has been hailed as one of the greatest video game adaptations ever, largely stayed true to the plot, themes, characters, and concepts that made the first game so universally acclaimed.

Where the show did diverge, however, was by introducing new storylines and fleshing out characters even more deeply. For instance, viewers got to see more of the relationship between Bill and Frank, as well as learn the nature of Ellie’s immunity.

But Ashley Johnson, who has feet in both parts of the franchise, thinks one change the show made should carry over to the potential third game.

Ashley Johnson explains why cordyceps should change in The Last of Us Part 3

After the airing of The Last of Us Episode 9, HBO released their post-show podcast, which featured Troy Baker (who played Joel in the game and James on the show), Craig Mazin, Neil Druckmann, and Johnson.

During the podcast, Johnson discussed how, in the show, stepping on cordyceps spores could send a signal that would draw in hundreds of infected.

“When I watched that, I was like ‘I want to play that, because that’s terrifying,'” Johnson said.

Mazin and Druckmann previously acknowledged that the change from the spores being airborne to tendrils was so that the actors weren’t restricted in gas masks for most of the show. However, the pair also admitted that the change made better sense thematically.

While it’s not confirmed that this change would be incorporated in a potential Part III, Druckmann has said that going forward some elements from the show could be introduced into future games in The Last of Us franchise.