When HBO renewed The Last of Us for Season 3, creator Neil Druckmann confirmed that he would not return as co-showrunner alongside Craig Mazin. While it was said he wanted to focus on Naughty Dog's video game output, there may be more to the story than meets the eye.
In an interview with The Washington Post (via SFFGazette.com), Druckmann revealed that Naughty Dog as a whole is no longer creatively involved with the HBO series.
While The Last of Us has taken a few creative liberties with the games, it is, for the most part, a very loyal adaptation. Could Druckmann's departure—and what seems like an attempt to distance Naughty Dog from the show—signal that Season 3 will take big swings that the team behind the games aren't on board with?
"I wasn't involved in shaping this season's creative direction, and Naughty Dog did not have a creative role in the direction of this season," he explained. "So I can't personally speak to how production is progressing."
"It's important for us to note that as the creator of the games, Naughty Dog is still the steward of this IP and even though this might be the end of this adaptation, we're not done with The Last of Us," Druckmann continued, hopefully hinting at The Last of Us Part III. "There's a couple projects in the works that, when the time is right, I’m very excited to talk about."
The second game ends on something of a bum note, albeit one that's fitting for the story being told. There's also not that much Abby material to fill a season, so the series could expand on character arcs and moments that deviate from the games in a big way. We'll have to wait and see.
Shooting began in March and will continue through November for a planned 2027 premiere on HBO. The plan is still for that to serve as The Last of Us' final season.
Season 3 will shift the spotlight to Abby's story, both in the present and the time she spent with her father before he was gunned down by Joel (Jerry was the surgeon the protagonist murdered in the Season 1 finale, when he saved Ellie).
Starring Kaitlyn Dever, Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna, Isabela Merced, Young Mazino, Spencer Lord, Tati Gabrielle, Ariela Barer, Michelle Mao, Kyriana Kratter, and Patrick Wilson, The Last of Us Season 3 is expected to premiere on HBO next year.
In our The Last of Us season 2 review, we concluded with, "Pedro Pascal is a force to be reckoned with in The Last of Us, and with Bella Ramsey and Isabela Merced matching him beat for beat, season 2 is a powerful, rousing triumph that cements this series as the best video game adaptation ever."
Keep checking back here for updates on The Last of Us Season 3 as we have them.