Neil Druckmann steps away from HBO's 'The Last of Us' ahead of season 3
Neil Druckmann, the co-creator and director of The Last of Us video game, is stepping away from the TV adaptation ahead of season 3.
Druckmann announced his exit to focus on his other projects with video game company Naughty Dog, where he serves as studio head and head of creative.
"I've made the difficult decision to step away from my creative involvement in The Last of Us on HBO," he said in a statement.
"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," he said.
— Naughty Dog (@Naughty_Dog) July 2, 2025
HBO renewed The Last of Us for a third season on April 13. Druckmann served as showrunner alongside Craig Mazin and directed and wrote episodes for seasons 1 and 2.
He also called co-creating the TV adaptation a "career highlight."
"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.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Druckmann will remain as the show's co-creator and executive producer.
Halley Gross, who wrote for season 2 and the second game, also announced that she won't return for the TV series' season 3 "to make space for what comes next."
"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," she wrote on Instagram.
"I want to express my gratitude to everyone who brought Ellie and Joel's world to life with such care."
The first season of The Last of Us took inspiration from the 2013 game. The second game, released in 2020, will span multiple seasons.
The first game follows Joel (Pedro Pascal), a smuggler who lost his daughter during an outbreak of a mutated fungus. He gets tasked to escort Ellie (Bella Ramsay), a teenager who's immune to the infection, across a post-apocalyptic United States.
The second game mainly centers around Ellie as she seeks revenge for the death of a loved one.
The Last of Us season 2 also stars Gabriel Luna, Rutina Wesley, Isabela Merced, Kaitlyn Dever, Young Mazino, Catherine O'Hara, Jeffrey Wright, Danny Ramirez, Tati Gabrielle, Spencer Lord, and Ariela Barer.
