The Last of Us season 2 had shocking moments. Well, not shocking if you know the game but still, shocking. Pedro Pascal’s Joel Miller met his match with Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) and the season ended on a cliffhanger. Now, co-creator Neil Druckmann is departing the show ahead of season 3.
Druckmann, who created the game with his company Naughty Dog, has been a part of the series since the start. For the most part, the show mirrors what Druckmann did with the game with a few exceptions, like the Bill and Frank episode of season 1 and the extended look at Joel and Ellie’s lives in Jackson Hole in season 2. As of this writing, there is no news as to why Druckmann leaving the series outside of him saying he needs to focus on the gaming company.
“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 said in a statement.
He went on to praise co-creator Craig Mazin and the work they did on the first two season of The Last of Us. “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 adaptation of The Last of Us Part II.”
Mazin also released a statement about Druckmann’s departure, saying “It’s been a creative dream to work with Neil and bring an adaptation of his brilliant work to life on HBO. 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.”
(featured image: HBO)
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