HBO is experiencing a seismic creative shift regarding its hit series The Last of Us. Neil Druckmann, who co-created the Naughty Dog video games the series is inspired by, is stepping back from the HBO adaptation ahead of Season 3. According to sources, Druckmann will not direct or write any Season 3 episodes, though he remains a co-creator and executive producer.
“I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from my creative involvement in The Last of Us on HBO. With work completed on season 2 and before any meaningful work starts on season 3, now is the right time for me to transition my complete focus to Naughty Dog and its future projects, including writing and directing our exciting next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, along with my responsibilities as Studio Head and Head of Creative,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “Co-creating the show has been a career highlight. It’s been an honor to work alongside Craig Mazin to executive produce, direct and write on the last two seasons. I’m deeply thankful of the thoughtful approach and dedication the talented cast and crew took to adapting The Last of Us Part I and their continued adaptation of The Last of Us Part II.”
In concluding his thoughts, Druckmann wrote, “I look forward to HBO and PlayStation Productions continuing Ellie and Abby’s story next season.”
The Last of Us co-creator and showrunner Craig Mazin also released a statement, saying, “It’s been a creative dream to work with Neil and bring an adaptation of his brilliant work to life on HBO. I couldn’t have asked for a more generous creative partner. As a true fan of Naughty Dog and Neil’s work in video games, I’m beyond excited to play his next game. While he focuses on that, I’ll continue to work with our brilliant cast and crew to deliver the show our audience has come to expect. We are so grateful to Neil and Halley Gross for entrusting the incredible story of The Last of Us Part II to us, and we’re just as grateful to the millions of people around the world who tune in.”
The story of the The Last of Us video game is set years after a fungal plague wiped out much of humanity, transforming most into vicious zombie-like monsters. The story follows Joel, who’s living in a militarized quarantine zone. He has a close relationship with Tess, who operates in the black market of this community. Together, they’ve become known by the local criminal underworld for their ruthlessness. On a mission to reclaim their stolen guns, they run into the leader of the Fireflies, a resistance group, who tasks them with smuggling a young girl named Ellie out of the zone. This mission soon becomes much more than they were prepared for.
With his focus on Naughty Dog, Neil Druckmann will give his all to the studio’s next major release, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. The game, set thousands of years in the future, follows Jordan A. Mun (played by Chilling Adventures of Sabrina actress Tati Gabrielle), a bounty hunter stranded on Sempiria, a distant planet whose communication with the outside universe went dark hundreds of years ago. Kumail Nanjiani, Tony Dalton, Troy Baker, Halley Gross, and Stephen A. Chang also play characters in the game.
I’m unsurprised that Neil Druckmann is exiting HBO’s The Last of Us. The show is in great hands, and making Naughty Dog’s next blockbuster video game IP is an all-hands-on-deck situation.
Are you still excited about The Last of Us Season 3 without Neil Druckmann being a director and writer on the show? Let us know in the comments section below.
