The Last of Us is undergoing a major shakeup at Sony, Warner Bros., and HBO, as it’s learned that Neil Druckmann has exited Season 3 creatively, amid the show’s ratings crash and ongoing controversy.
Update: Writer Halley Gross has also announced her exit, who also wrote the video game sequel.
Ratings crumble
The ratings for Season 2 crumbled following Pedro Pascal’s exit. While the reason for Neil Druckmann’s departure is that he says he’s moving on, see his statement below, it’s likely he was aware of the backlash, considering he co-created and directed the Naughty Dog video game for Sony. Fans were unhappy when Joel was killed off early in The Last of Us Part II video game, and naturally, normies who never played the game didn’t like it in the TV series either. Yet the decision was made to stick with that storyline.
Shifts to LGBTQ+ storyline
You could also argue that The Last of Us shifted into an LGBTQ+ show, focusing on Bella Ramsey’s Ellie and a new character created for the series, Dina, played by Isabela Merced. Dina becomes pregnant, they share a kiss, and Ellie says she’s going to be the dad, something that went meme-viral on social media.
While it may not be directly related to Druckmann’s exit, Ramsey herself has also been at the center of plenty of controversy due to her politics.
Craig Mazin taking over with Season 3
The trades report that Neil Druckmann will continue to serve as a co-creator and executive producer, which sounds like something mandated due to his contract. Druckmann was heavily involved with the first two seasons and wrote and directed episodes.
The Last of Us Season 3 is supposed to follow Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby, so it remains to be seen with Druckmann’s exit, if the creative direction will change.
Taking over is showrunner Craig Mazin, whose credits include HBO’s Chernobyl, and The Hangover Part II and III.
Neil Druckmann’s statement
“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 a statement Wednesday. “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 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.”
Craig Mazin’s statement
“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,” said Mazin. “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.”
