UPDATED: Neil Druckmann has announced he is stepping away from “The Last of Us” TV series at HBO.
“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 posted to the official Instagram account for Naughty Dog, the PlayStation-owned video game studio behind “The Last of Us” franchise. “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.”
“Co-creating the show has been a career highlight,” he continued. “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.”
In addition, Halley Gross has also announced she will no longer be working on the HBO series. Gross previously co-wrote “The Last of Us Part II” with Druckmann and worked as an executive producer and writer on the HBO series.
“With great care and consideration, I’ve decided to take a step back from my day-to-day work on HBO’s The Last of Us to make space for what comes next,” Gross said in a statement posted to Instagram. “I’m so appreciative of how special this experience has been. Working alongside Neil, Craig, HBO, and this remarkable cast and crew has been life changing. The stories we told – about love, loss, and what it means to be human in a terrifying world – are exactly why I love this franchise. I have some truly rad projects ahead that I can’t wait to share, but for now, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who brought Ellie and Joel’s world to life with such care.”
Druckmann was instrumental in the creation of “The Last of Us” video games, which were developed by PlayStation’s Naughty Dog. He then co-created the HBO series with Craig Mazin, who previously created the critically-acclaimed HBO limited series “Chernobyl.” Season 1 of “The Last of Us” debuted to near universal acclaim in 2023, with Season 2 dropping earlier this year. HBO renewed the show for a third season in April. Druckmann will continue to be credited as an executive producer on the series.
“It’s been a creative dream to work with Neil and bring an adaptation of his brilliant work to life on HBO,” Mazin said in a statement. “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 Last of Us” Season 1 was among the highest rated drama series in HBO history in addition to earning 24 Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
“Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet” was revealed back in December. Tati Gabrielle will star in the game, with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross providing the score. No release date has been set at the time of this publishing.
The Ankler first reported Druckmann’s exit.
