UPDATE 3/7/25: Following Neil Druckmann’s announcement last night he was stepping away from HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation, Halley Gross and Craig Mazin have released their own statements.
Gross – who co-wrote The Last of Us Part 2 with Druckmann, before also working on the show – announced on Instagram that “with great care and consideration” she would also be stepping back from the adaptation “to make space for what comes next”.
Gross said she was “appreciative” of the “special” and “life changing” experience. However, it is time to focus on other things. “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,” Gross closed.
Druckmann’s departure from The Last of Us series leaves Mazin at the helm. “It’s been a creative dream to work with Neil and bring an adaptation of his brilliant work to life on HBO,” he said in his own statement. “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.”
Continuing, the showrunner said he will “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 2 to us, and we’re just as grateful to the millions of people around the world who tune in,” Mazin closed.
The original story continues below.
ORIGINAL 2/7/25: The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann is stepping away from his creative involvement in HBO’s TV adaptation, calling this a “difficult decision”.
In a statement shared on social media, Druckmann said now season two of The Last of Us had wrapped, he would be moving his “complete focus” back to Naughty Dog. This includes writing and directing the studio’s all new game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, as well as Naughty Dog’s future projects.
“Co-creating the show has been a career highlight,” Druckmann said. “It’s been an honour to work alongside Craig Mazin to executive produce, direct and write on the last two seasons.”
Druckmann added he was “deeply thankful for the thoughtful approach and dedication the talented cast and crew took to adapting” the first The Last of Us game, as well as the ongoing work adapting The Last of Us Part 2 for TV.
The statement noted now was the right time for the Naughty Dog head to step back from the show, before meaningful work on season three begins.
The Last of Us season two aired earlier this year, picking up five years after the events of the season one finale, with Ellie and Joel – played by Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal – now living in Jackson. New cast members this season included Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse and Catherine O’Hara as a new character for the show, Gail.