Neil Druckmann is stepping away fromThe Last of UsHBO series so that he can focus on his work at Naughty Dog, which marks the end of an era for the franchise. Druckmann has been largely entrenched inThe Last of Usworld for over a decade, serving as co-director for the original 2013 game, leading the charge on the highly controversial but critically-acclaimedLast of Us Part 2, and working on the HBO adaptation of the series in multiple roles.
Following the commercial and critical success ofThe Last of Usgames, it made sense for HBO to move forward with an adaptation of the series.The Last of Uson HBO has similarly enjoyed a great deal of success, in no small part thanks to the involvement of Druckmann. Druckmann has written and directed various episodes of the TV show, and has even worked as co-showrunner.The Last of UsSeason 2 aired earlier this yearand while Season 3 is on the way, it will be made without Druckmann’s creative input.
Druckmann recently confirmed as much to his team at Naughty Dog, with the studio sharing the message on social media. Druckmann said that he made the “difficult decision” to step away fromThe Last of UsHBO series so that he can focus his attention on Naughty Dog’s current projects, namely the in-development sci-fi action gameIntergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. UnlessThe Last of Us Part 3is secretly in development or something, this marks the first time that Druckmann hasn’t been actively working on somethingLast of Us-related since development began on the original game all the way back in 2009. Needless to say, this marks a notable end of an era for the franchise.
Neil Druckmann is Leaving The Last of Us to Work on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet
Even though Druckmann has stepped away fromThe Last of UsHBO series, the show will continue with co-creator and showrunner Craig Mazin at the helm. WhereasThe Last of UsSeason 2 depicted the second game’s events from Ellie’s perspective,Season 3 will largely focus on Abby. A fourth season of the show is expected to wrap upThe Last of Us Part 2’s story. After that, there will be no more source material to adapt, so one has to imagine that will be the end ofThe Last of Uson HBO.
Unless, of course,The Last of Us Part 3ever materializes. Naughty Dog is believed to be working on multiple projects, not justIntergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and so it stands to reason that one of the game could very well be a thirdLast of Usgame. If so, that would give HBO the chance to produce more seasons ofThe Last of UsTV series, but fans should keep their expectations in check. Right now, all that’s been confirmed is that Naughty Dog’s next game isIntergalactic: The Heretic Prophetand Druckmann is stepping away from his creative duties on theLast of UsTV series.
The Last Of Us
Cast
Based on Naughty Dog’s popular PlayStation game, HBO’s The Last of Us takes place decades after a fungal infection eradicated most of humanity. When a teenage girl named Ellie is found to be immune to the disease, Joel agrees to smuggle her across the United States.
