Neil Druckmann, head of the PlayStation studio Naughty Canine and co-creator of The Final of Us, is stepping away from the HBO present based mostly on the 2013 recreation and its 2020 sequel to focus his work on Naughty Canine's subsequent recreation. On Instagram, the studio revealed the next assertion from Druckmann:
"I've made the troublesome resolution to step away from my involvement in The Final of Us on HBO. With work accomplished on season 2 and earlier than any significant work begins on season 3, now could be the proper time for me to transition my full focus to Naughty Canine and its future initiatives, together with writing and directing our thrilling subsequent recreation, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, together with my duties as Studio Head and Head of Artistic."
He went on to thanks showrunner Craig Mazin (on the left within the above picture) in addition to the forged and crew he labored with on the primary two seasons and known as engaged on the present a "profession spotlight" Druckmann was credited as government producer and co-creator of the present and he directed one episode in every of the present's two seasons in addition to contributing writing to a number of others. The majority of the present itself was written by Mazin.
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The Ankler first revealed Druckmann's assertion shortly earlier than it was formally launched by Naughty Canine.
Shortly after Druckmann's assertion was launched, The Final of Us Half II co-writer Halley Gross (who had additionally co-written a number of episodes in season two of the present) introduced she additionally wouldn’t be transferring ahead with the HBO adaptation.
"With nice care and consideration, I’ve determined to take a step again from my day-to-day work on HBO’s The Final of Us to create space for what comes subsequent. I’m so appreciative of how particular this expertise has been. Working alongside Neil, Craig, HBO, and this outstanding forged and crew has been life altering. The tales we instructed — about love, loss, and what it means to be human in a terrifying world — are precisely why I really like this franchise. I’ve some really rad initiatives forward that I can’t wait to share, however for now, I wish to specific my gratitude to everybody who introduced Ellie and Joel’s world to life with such care.”
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Lastly, Mazin himself shared an announcement, as published in Variety:
"It’s been a inventive dream to work with Neil and convey an adaptation of his sensible work to life on HBO. I couldn’t have requested for a extra beneficiant inventive associate. As a real fan of Naughty Canine and Neil’s work in video video games, I’m past excited to play his subsequent recreation. Whereas he focuses on that, I’ll proceed to work with our sensible forged and crew to ship the present our viewers has come to anticipate. We’re so grateful to Neil and Halley Gross for entrusting the unimaginable story of The Final of Us Half II to us, and we’re simply as grateful to the tens of millions of individuals all over the world who tune in."
This comes after a reasonably rocky reception for The Final of Us season two. The problem of adapting the story of the second online game led to some choices that didn't sit properly with each followers of the video games in addition to those that have been new to the world by way of the present. And, maybe unsurprisingly, there was additionally an inordinate quantity of on-line vitriol directed in the direction of Druckmann and Mazin for a few of the modifications they made to adapt the sport right into a TV sequence.
In my view, I believed season two was well-done, with continued glorious appearing however points with tempo due partly to it solely being seven episodes lengthy. However I may also agree there are a variety of honest criticisms to make about how the present was plotted — it in all probability caught too carefully to the timeline of the sport, and the finale left issues up within the air to what have to be a irritating diploma for individuals who don't know the storyline from enjoying the video games.
That stated, Druckmann co-wrote and directed the most effective episodes of your complete sequence (season two's "The Value") and did stable behind-the-camera work in season one's "Contaminated" as properly. To not point out the truth that he is aware of these characters higher than principally anybody alive — it's believable to surprise simply how issues will change with out his affect going ahead. Then again, this transformation may re-focus the present's inventive workforce and assist right components of season two the place issues simply didn't land as followers had hoped. It's far too early to inform, but it surely'll be price seeing if Mazin brings on anybody else to again him up — and if he does, if that individual has expertise with the sport or is concentrated solely on the TV world. Somebody with far from how the story was instructed within the video games may be the proper selection to assist the present stand by itself.
No matter what occurs, it'll be some time earlier than we learn the way this all shakes out — as Druckmann stated, there's no "significant work" executed on season 3 but, so we are going to in all probability have to attend till 2027 to see how these modifications affect the present.
Replace, July 2, 2025, 2:45PM ET: Added statements from Halley Gross and Craig Mazin.
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