The Last of Us HBO's third and fourth seasons won't have Neil Druckmann at the wheel, it's been revealed, nor will it have Halley Gross. Druckmann co-created the original The Last of Us game, and directed The Last of Us Part 2 (which Gross also co-wrote).
Druckmann broke the news on his Instagram: "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."
Druckmann continues: "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 1 and the continued adaptation of The Last of Us Part 2."
Gross also announced her departure from the series on Instagram, adding: "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. 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."
This all feels like a huge blow to HBO's adaptation, which started out strong and has sort of floundered afterwards. Showrunner Craig Mazin, who'll presumably be the only one left over to carry the flame, still reckons it's got two more seasons in it, stretching The Last of Us Part 2's one-game plot into a three-season arc.
To be fair, Part 2's a lot larger in scope, but in my humble opinion, the fewer creatives you have working on a show, the harder it gets to actually write it well. Solo auteurs are one in a million, and even then, they often need reining in (George Lucas, anyone?) Without Druckmann or Gross there at the helm, you have to wonder if the last of them'll be enough.
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