Neil Druckmann Departs HBO's 'The Last of Us' Series Adaptation

Neil Druckmann is exiting HBO‘s The Last of Us series adaptation.

The co-creator announced the news via the Naughty Dog Instagram account. “I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from my creative involvement in The Last of Us on HBO,” he wrote in a lengthy 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, along with my responsibilities as Studio Head and Head of Creative.”

“Co-creating the show has been a career highlight,” Druckmann 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.”

Co-writer Halley Gross also announced her departure from the 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,” she stated. “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.”

Craig Mazin, the other creator of the series, wrote in his statement, “It’s been a creative dream to work with Neil and bring an adaptation of his brilliant work to life on HBO.” He added, “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.”

Druckmann served as the co-creator for both the HBO adaptation and the original video game. Season 1 first premiered in 2023 and went on to receive 24 Emmy Awards, while Season 2 premiered earlier this year. The show is set to return for its third season.