The Last of Uscreator Neil Druckmann announced today that he won’t be involved with the show’s upcoming third season, and that’s probably bad news for the live screen adaptation.
Druckmann has only contributed as a writer for five of the 16 episodes of the show so far (he’s directed two of them), but I can only feel like his guidance will be missed, considering he’s the writer behind bothTLOUvideo games. He knows these characters better than anybody, for better or worse, and losing his influence will assumedly leave showrunner Craig Mazin in control as the main writer, and that’s a bit scary.
“I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from my creative involvement inThe Last of Uson HBO,” Druckmann said ina statement. “With work completed on season two and before any meaningful work starts on season three, now is the right time for me to transition my complete focus to Naughty Dog and its future projects, including writing and directing our exciting next game,Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, along with my responsibilities as studio head and head of creative.”
Ellie was written poorly in season two, especially when it comes to public perception by the fans of the game. Players who fell in love with the character from the game don’t see much of her in season two, which was a continuation of similar issues in season one. How much of that was Mazin’s fault? How much of it was due to poor direction, or the actor’s performance? Only those behind the scenes can know the full details, but I feel like those hoping Druckmann’s departure will be a good thing may end up led astray by their optimism.
“Co-creating the show has been a career highlight,” Druckmann continued. “It’s been an honor to work alongside Craig Mazin to executive produce, direct, and write on the last two seasons. I’m deeply thankful for the thoughtful approach and dedication the talented cast and crew took to adaptingTLOU Part Iand the continued adaptation ofTLOU Part II.”
That adaptation has been called into question, as many have spoken out against Ellie’s portrayal in season two, calling it a mischaracterization of the Ellie we know and love from the game. Frankly, I’m inclined to agree. It seems as though Mazin had a lot to do with that as he wrote or co-wrote every episode of the season. Without Druckmann to help steer the ship now, I am very worried for season three.
Adaptations of books, video games, or any other medium into another one is always tricky. It can’t be a one-to-one recreation, and liberties must be taken, but the essence of the source material must be maintained. A lot of Ellie’s actions and dialogue betrayed what many loved about the character.
Season three will pick up where two ended, going back to the beginning of Seattle Day One with Abby now becoming the focal point, which is the same way theTLOU Part IIhandled the story’s events. With Mazin at the helm, one can only wonder how these beloved characters might now end up without Druckmann there to inform decisions.
I’m not convinced, nor am I thrilled about its prospects without Druckmann’s involvement. But hey, maybe Mazin’s full spin on things will improve on the game’s events or just translate better to a TV series without the video game writer involved.
Regardless, we won’t know how the show ends up for another few years. Season three likely won’t release until some time in 2026, at the earliest.
