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

Amid uncertainties surrounding the future of The Last of Us video game series, fans are eagerly speculating on where the narrative might head after HBO's Season 2 and 3, which are set to adapt the events of the second video game. Earlier this month, Neil Druckmann, the series' creator, hinted at the possibility that The Last of Us 3 might not see the light of day, 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 scope of the existing games. During an interview with IGN on the red carpet at the premiere of The Last of Us Season 2, Druckmann revealed that he has a definitive ending in mind for The Last of Us story. He emphasized his approach to storytelling, saying, "I have to have an ending. 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 providing a conclusive narrative stems from his uncertainty about future opportunities. He explained, "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 remains uncertain, given his involvement with the HBO series, which will conclude the story of The Last of Us 2 over its next two seasons, and his work on the newly announced PlayStation game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Addressing future projects, Druckmann noted, "As far as everything else, and you’re asking me about future games, my time so much is, we have to finish this season. 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

3 ImagesIn February 2024, Druckmann hinted at a potential concept for The Last of Us 3 during the documentary Grounded 2: Making The Last of Us Part 2, suggesting that there might be "probably one more chapter to this story." He reflected on the thematic continuity of the series, saying, "The first game had such a clean concept of like, the unconditional love a parent feels for their child. 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 at Naughty Dog, stating, "The great thing about working at Naughty Dog is that we don't have to. 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."