The HBO adaptation of The Last of Us videogame has, across its two seasons, been a real thrill ride – both for those who know the games and newcomers alike.
Well, change is afoot, people! The HBO series showrunner, Neil Druckmann, has called time on his role at the network. He won't be working on season 3, therefore, which we know is already in the works.
But it's not all bad news: it's to focus on other projects. And let's not forget that Druckmann is the studio head at Naughty Dog, the very same studio that created the original games in the first place.
Why is Neil Druckmann leaving HBO?
Druckmann took to Instagram on his personal channel to confirm the announcement, stating: "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..."
"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 adaption of The Last of Us Part II."
As you can see from the full statement, posted in full above, Druckmann's focus is to be at Naughty Dog and working on videogames full time once more.
Does this mean The Last of Us Part 3?
I don't think that's entirely bad news. The Last of Us S2 may have ruffled some feathers in its on-screen portrayal of the game's characters, but it stuck mostly to the game's path – and The Last of Us S3, therefore, is surely is safe hands with Mazin at the helm?
The tone has already been set, the third season HBO adaptation just needs to keep the momentum going and follow that path. There are still some big question marks over how it'll deal with that ending, of course.
And it raises some other big questions. Sure, Druckmann is heading to Naughty Dog to make a new game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, first and foremost. But his work at HBO must have furthered the questions around The Last of Us, its key protagonist, Ellie, and where that future could lead?
Perhaps Druckmann doesn't want to give away any hints to the studio what The Last of Us: Part III might bring to the table. Avoiding getting ahead of the curve, as it were.
So perhaps, just perhaps, his move away from The Last of Us is, in a roundabout kind of way, a move towards its future... just not imminently. It certainly tells us that Naughty Dog is ramping things up.
