It was a shock to hear that Neil Druckmann, creator of The Last of Us and co-creator of the TV adaptation, was leaving the show after its second season. Many wondered if there was any deeper reason behind the exit, but as Druckmann has since explained, he had been stretching himself so thin over the past few years, he felt it was time to get back strictly to video games. Plus, he was leaving the show in the very good hands of Craig Mazin. The Last of Us would be okay.
In a new interview, Druckmann spoke a bit more about his decision to leave as well as his expectations of what season three of the show will achieve. “My hope for season three, and what I’d like to think I can best contribute to it, is to make sure it’s as deeply faithful as season one was,” Druckmann told Variety. “Because I feel like that is the gold standard for this kind of adaptation, while enjoying all these beautiful expansions that happen naturally with the rest of the team and how they’re working on season three. So that is where my involvement will stay is at that very, very high level.”
That statement lines up with everything we’ve been hearing about season three, which is that the show will largely shift focus to Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever, much as it does in the video game. Interestingly, though, Druckmann teases that season three won’t be the end of The Last of Us franchise as a whole. Mazin has previously said the TV adaptation could go beyond season three, but Druckmann seems to tease even more.
“With the show, my hope is that we’re going to end this story in a deeply faithful way, in the same way that we started, and that’ll be the end for this version of the story. But that’s not the end of The Last of Us for Naughty Dog,” he said. “That doesn’t mean necessarily that’s going to happen indoors or outdoors—we’re in talks to do multiple things.”
What else could be coming for The Last of Us? We don’t think it’s a new video game. In the same interview, Druckmann admits they thought about a third game a lot after part two but decided against it. So is it TV spinoffs? Comics? Animated show? Speculate below. And read more from Druckmann about The Last of Us and his new game, Intergalactic, at Variety.