Neil Druckmann on Continuing The Last of Us TV Show Beyond the Games

As fans eagerly await the next chapter in The Last of Us saga, questions loom about the future of the beloved video game series, especially with HBO's adaptation set to cover the events of the second game in its upcoming seasons. Earlier this month, Neil Druckmann, the mastermind behind the series, hinted at uncertainty surrounding a third installment, stating, "I guess the only thing I would say is don’t bet on there being more of ‘Last of Us.’ This could be it."

This raises the intriguing question of whether Naughty Dog and Druckmann would continue the TV series beyond the video games if The Last of Us 3 never materializes. When asked by IGN at the red carpet event for The Last of Us Season 2 premiere, Druckmann clarified his stance. He emphasized the importance of having a definitive ending for his stories, regardless of whether a sequel is guaranteed. "I have to have an ending," Druckmann explained. "When I made The Last of Us 1, I didn’t know if there was going to be a sequel, so that had to be a definitive ending. When I worked on Uncharted 4, I don’t know if we’ll ever get to do it again. I need it to be a definitive ending. Last of Us 2, same way. All these things have to line up."

Druckmann's commitment to storytelling means that he is prepared for any scenario. "I don’t know how long I’ll keep doing this or whether I’ll be given another opportunity. So I leave nothing on the line. Right now it’s like, we have an ending in mind. And that ending will be it. That ending will be it for this story."

The feasibility of Druckmann dedicating time to The Last of Us 3 is uncertain, given his current commitments. He is deeply involved with the TV adaptation, which will complete the narrative of The Last of Us 2 over Seasons 2 and 3, and is also working on a new PlayStation game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. "As far as everything else, and you’re asking me about future games, my time so much is, we have to finish this season," Druckmann noted. "We’re not quite done. We’re almost there. Knock on wood we get to do it again. Season 3, there’s a lot more story we have to cover, as you know with game two. And then my hands are pretty full with Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet."

The Last of Us Season 2 Character Posters

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Despite these uncertainties, Druckmann has hinted at a potential direction for The Last of Us 3. In February 2024, during the Grounded 2: Making The Last of Us Part 2 documentary, he revealed a "concept" for a possible third game. "The first game had such a clean concept of like, the unconditional love a parent feels for their child," he reflected. "The second one, once we landed on this idea of the pursuit of justice at any cost, justice for the ones you love, we felt like, 'there's a clean concept here and there's a throughline from the first game, about love.' If we never get to do it again, this is a fine ending point. Last bite of the apple, the story's done."

Druckmann also highlighted the creative freedom he enjoys at Naughty Dog. "The great thing about working at Naughty Dog is that we don't have to," he said. "It's always like, 'we would love another Last of Us, but if you guys feel you're passionate about something else, we'll support this other thing.' Very privileged position to be in, I never take that for granted. I've been just thinking about it, 'is there a concept there?' And for now years, I haven't been able to find that concept. But recently, that's changed, and I don't have a story, but I do have that concept that to me is as exciting as 1, as exciting as 2, is its own thing, and yet has this throughline for all three. So it does feel like there's probably one more chapter to this story."