‘The Last of Us’ Co-Creator Neil Druckmann Exits HBO Series

One of the masterminds behind The Last of Us, HBO’s hit zombie series based on the video game franchise of the same name, is leaving the show.

Calling it a “difficult decision,” Neil Druckmann will exit The Last of Us ahead of the series’ third season. In a statement addressing his departure, Druckmann said:

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.

Druckmann, who is the studio head at video game developer Naughty Dog, co-developed the 2013 action-adventure-horror survival game The Last of Us as well as its 2020 sequel, The Last of Us Part II — the latter of which Season 2 of the HBO series is based on.

The game developer-turned-showrunner called working on the HBO series a “career highlight,” adding:

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 of the thoughtful approach and dedication the talented cast and crew took to adapting The Last of Us Part I and their continued adaptation of The Last of Us Part II. I look forward to HBO and PlayStation Productions continuing Ellie and Abby’s story next season.

Druckmann conceived the television show alongside co-creator Craig Mazin, who also worked on 2019’s Chernobyl. Mazin will continue as the series’ sole showrunner for Season 3, while Druckmann will retain his co-creator and executive producer credits.

“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,” Mazin said in a statement regarding his co-director’s exit.

Premiering on HBO in 2023, The Last of Us follows a hardened man named Joel who is tasked with transporting a young, immune girl named Ellie across a zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America in a bid to potentially save humanity from the fungal pandemic that’s ravaged it.

Season 1 of the dystopian drama series was a smash hit, earning a 96 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and drawing one of the largest audiences for an HBO and Max season debut ever, according to Deadline.

Season 2, which premiered this past April and aired its finale on May 25, was also a hit but less well-received than its predecessor, drawing lower ratings and a decline in viewership over the season.

A third season of The Last of Us was greenlit in early April, just days prior to the HBO series’ premiere of Season 2.