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

Amid the swirling uncertainties surrounding the future of the acclaimed *The Last of Us* video game series, fans are eagerly speculating on where the narrative might venture following the coverage of the second game in HBO's Season 2 and 3. Earlier this month, series creator Neil Druckmann cast a shadow of doubt over the prospect of *The Last of Us 3*, 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 statement raises a crucial question: If there's no *The Last of Us 3*, would Naughty Dog and Druckmann extend the TV series beyond the existing game storylines? In an interview with IGN at the premiere of *The Last of Us* Season 2, Druckmann addressed this, revealing that he has an envisioned ending for the *The Last of Us* saga. He emphasized the importance of crafting definitive endings, a principle he applied to *The Last of Us 1*, *Uncharted 4*, and *The Last of Us 2*. Druckmann explained, "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 dedication to storytelling is evident as he admits to not knowing how long he will continue in this field or whether he will be granted further opportunities. He stated, "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."

Adding to the uncertainty, Druckmann's involvement in other projects might limit his availability for *The Last of Us 3*. He is currently focused on completing *The Last of Us* TV series, which will cover the events of *The Last of Us 2* in Seasons 2 and 3, and is also working on the newly announced PlayStation game, *Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet*. Druckmann elaborated, "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

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In February 2024, Druckmann teased the possibility of a "concept" for *The Last of Us 3* at the conclusion of *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 consistency of the series, stating, "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 supportive environment at Naughty Dog, which encourages pursuing new passions rather than forcing sequels. He shared, "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."