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

As fans eagerly anticipate the future of *The Last of Us* series, uncertainty looms over whether a third installment will come to fruition. With HBO's adaptation set to cover the events of the second game in Seasons 2 and 3, series creator Neil Druckmann has hinted at potential closure. In a recent statement, Druckmann tempered expectations, suggesting, "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 leaves fans wondering if Naughty Dog and Druckmann will continue the TV series beyond the video game's storyline. Addressing this on the red carpet at the premiere of *The Last of Us* Season 2, Druckmann shared his vision for the series' conclusion. "I have to have an ending," he emphasized. "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 a definitive ending stems from his uncertainty about future opportunities. "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," he explained. He affirmed that, regardless of whether *The Last of Us 3* materializes, the story will reach its intended conclusion. "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."

Time constraints also play a role in Druckmann's ability to pursue *The Last of Us 3*. Alongside his work on the TV series, which will complete the narrative of *The Last of Us 2* over Seasons 2 and 3, Druckmann is involved in the development of the 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," he said. "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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In February 2024, Druckmann offered a glimmer of hope for *The Last of Us 3* enthusiasts during the *Grounded 2: Making The Last of Us Part 2* documentary. He mentioned a "concept" for a potential third game, highlighting its connection to the themes of love and justice explored in the previous installments. "The first game had such a clean concept of like, the unconditional love a parent feels for their child," Druckmann noted. "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."

He also spoke about the creative freedom at Naughty Dog, which allows the team to pursue new projects if they feel passionate about them. "The great thing about working at Naughty Dog is that we don't have to," Druckmann 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."