The Last of Us television series adaptation came to HBO with Chernobyl alum Craig Mazin and the video game’s creator, Neil Druckmann, serving as co-creators. The show has done well, with HBO picking up the show for a third season before the second season even aired, but it looks like Druckmann will not stay on and see the series through.
“I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from my creative involvement in The Last of Us on HBO,” Druckmann said in a statement published on Naughty Dog’s Instagram, the company that developed the video game, which Druckmann serves as studio head for. “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.”
Druckman added, “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 for the thoughtful approach and dedication the talented cast and crew took to adapting The Last of Us Part I and the continued adaptation of The Last of Us Part II.”
Mazin had a statement as well, as printed in Variety: “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 second season of the show ends on what could be called a cliffhanger (or an incomplete ending), leaving significant story from the Part II video game for season three. No news on when the third season will go into production, though Druckmann’s note suggests they’re starting the pre-production work now.
