Neil Druckmann Steps Down Before ‘The Last of Us’ Season 3 Development Kicks Off
There’s a big change happening with HBO’s hit show “The Last of Us.” Neil Druckmann, who co-created the series and worked as a writer and director alongside showrunner Craig Mazin, is stepping away from the show. This means Mazin will be the only showrunner as the series moves into its third season.
Druckmann, well known for his role at the game studio Naughty Dog, is leaving to focus fully on his next big project with the company. He said, “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 also praised everyone involved in making the show, adding, “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. I look forward to HBO and PlayStation Productions continuing Ellie and Abby’s story next season.”
Craig Mazin shared his feelings about Druckmann’s departure, 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.”
This update was first shared by The Ankler. It follows a second season that divided fans a bit and saw a small drop in ratings compared to the first season. The second season was based mostly on “The Last of Us Part Two” game, which also didn’t perform as strongly as the original.
Even though Druckmann is stepping away from daily work on the series, he will keep his credit as co-creator and executive producer. Fans will have to wait to see how this change affects the show’s future as it heads into season three. More news is expected as the series develops.
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