Co-showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann did the nearly impossible: successfully create a live-action adaptation of a video game. For two seasons, The Last of Us, based on the video game of the same name, captivated audiences through well-written characters and a distinctive story of a post-apocalyptic world, overcome by a fungus that got into the food supply.
The HBO series started strong, earning several award nominations and a SAG Award win for Pedro Pascal, who played Joel Miller. Season 2's reception waned, with audiences conflicted over the decision to stay true to the video game by killing off one of the two main characters, Joel, thus making Ellie the focus of the story.
It wasn't long after season 2's cliffhanger finale that Druckmann announced he would be stepping back to focus on other pursuits. But why and what's next?
In an interview with Variety, Druckmann revealed why he is leaving the show following season 2.
"Now I felt like the path has been set for it (The Last of Us television show). It was time to go back to the thing that started it all, which is just full-time video game work. But other things are coming and we can announce more things soon.”
He explains how thrilled he was that people watched the show without realizing it was based on a video game. He was excited to know that people who watched the show decided to play the video game it's based on.
With Mazin remaining as showrunner for the series, which has been renewed for season 3, Druckmann can focus on the video game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. What is the status of the video game?
Druckmann explains, "I can tell you we’re in the thick of it. We’re making it, we’re playing it. We’re firing on all cylinders. I’ve said this before, but I really mean it, I’m really feeling it right now: It’s the most ambitious game we’ve ever made."
As for whether we'll be seeing any of The Last of Us cast in
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, he mentioned speaking to Tony Dalton, who played Joel and Tommy's father in The Last of Us season 2 episode 6.
"I DM’d him on Instagram, like 'Hey, man, I don’t know if you’ve done video games before or performance capture, but I think you’d be perfect for this. Do you mind jumping on a Zoom call? I just want to show you something,'" Druckmann added, "He’s like, 'Yeah, I’m in. I’d love to do it.' So Tony Dalton is there, and maybe there’s a few more."
Stream The Last of Us seasons 1 and 2 on HBO MAX.