Naughty Dog Head Neil Druckmann to Step Away From HBO's The Last of Us TV Show to Focus on Games

Naughty Dog head Neil Druckmann is stepping away from creative duties at The Last of Us series on HBO to focus on the studio's future projects. Druckmann, who helmed the first two seasons of the show alongside Craig Mazin, will transition to working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet full-time and fulfilling his responsibilities as studio head. The second season of The Last of Us premiered in April and wrapped up its seven-episode run in May.

Neil Druckmann Departs The Last of Us Season 3

In a statement shared on X via Naughty Dog, Druckmann said he was stepping away from creative involvement with HBO's The Last of Us, confirming he won't be returning to work on the third season of the popular show. Druckmann, who has executive producing, writing and directing credits on the first two seasons of the show, said the decision to step away was “difficult”.

“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,” he said in the statement.

“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.”

In tandem with Druckmann's decision, Haley Gross, who co-wrote The Last of Us Part 2 and served as a writer on the second season of the show, also confirmed she was taking a step back from her duties on the latter. In a statement posted to Instagram Wednesday, Gross said she was moving on to “what comes next”.

“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,” Gross said in the statement. “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.”

HBO's The Last of Us has been renewed for a third season, which will be based on the second half of The Last of Us Part 2, with the primary focus on Abby (played by Kaitlyn Dever), who served as the main antagonist in the second season. The show stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in the lead roles of Joel and Ellie, respectively.

Naughty Dog is currently working on its next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, which was announced at The Game Awards 2024.