Li Jun Li joins Last of Us

Li Jun Li has joined HBO’s *The Last of Us* for Season 3, playing Miriam, the mother of Seraphite siblings Yara and Lev. (variety.com) Variety reported the casting on April 17, 2026, and IGN separately confirmed Li Jun Li’s role as Miriam later the same day. HBO had already renewed the series for a third season on April 9, 2025, before Season 2 premiered. (variety.com) (ign.com) (press.wbd.com) Miriam is a new on-screen addition tied directly to Lev and Yara, two Seraphite characters from *The Last of Us Part II* game. The role points to more time spent inside the Seraphites, the religious faction that operates in Seattle during that story. (variety.com) (ign.com) That fits the show’s current structure. HBO said Season 2 would run for seven episodes starting April 13, 2025, and multiple outlets reported that the second season would cover only part of the events of the 2020 game sequel, leaving later storylines for Season 3 and beyond. (press.wbd.com 1) (press.wbd.com 2) (deadline.com) Lev and Yara matter because they connect one of the franchise’s central conflicts to the Seraphites’ internal rules and punishments. Expanding their family history in television form gives the series room to explain that faction with new scenes rather than only through action and brief dialogue. (ign.com) (collider.com) Li Jun Li arrives after a high-profile year that included Ryan Coogler’s *Sinners*, which Variety and Deadline both cited in their casting reports. Variety also reported that *The Last of Us* is expected to begin shooting Season 3 in summer 2026. (variety.com) (deadline.com) The cast list around her is already anchored by Bella Ramsey and Kaitlyn Dever, with Season 3 expected to continue the adaptation of *Part II* after Season 2’s seven-episode run. Li Jun Li’s addition suggests the next chapter will spend more of that time with the people and belief system behind the Seraphites, not just their violence. (variety.com) (press.wbd.com)