‘The Last of Us’ Co-Creator Neil Druckmann Exits HBO Series

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One of the creative minds responsible for the critically acclaimed TV adaptation of “The Last of Us” video game series, which airs on HBO, has decided to part ways with the show.

Neil Druckmann has chosen to step away from “The Last of Us” before the show’s third season, a move he described as a challenging choice. In an announcement about his departure, Druckmann explained:

I’ve chosen to take a step back from my creative role in “The Last of Us” for HBO, as the work on season 2 has been finished, and there’s no significant work on season 3 starting yet. This moment feels right for me to devote all my attention to Naughty Dog, working on our upcoming game, “Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet,” as well as fulfilling my duties as Studio Head and Creative Lead.

Neil Druckmann, who serves as the studio head at video game creation company Naughty Dog, collaborated on the development of the 2013 action-adventure-horror survival game titled The Last of Us, along with its 2020 sequel, The Last of Us Part II. The second installment in the series is being adapted into Season 2 of the HBO television show.

The game developer-turned-showrunner called working on the HBO series a “career highlight,” adding:

It’s been a privilege collaborating with Craig Mazin in producing, directing, and writing the last two seasons. I am incredibly grateful for the meticulous efforts and commitment shown by our gifted cast and crew as they brought The Last of Us Part I to life on screen, and have continued adapting The Last of Us Part II. Excitedly, I anticipate HBO and PlayStation Productions carrying on Ellie and Abby’s tale in the upcoming season.

Druckmann collaborated with co-creator Craig Mazin to create the television series. Mazin is set to serve as the series’ lone showrunner during Season 3, while Druckmann will maintain his role as a co-creator and executive producer.

Mazin expressed his longstanding creative aspiration to collaborate with Neil and translate his exceptional work onto HBO. He couldn’t have hoped for a more supportive artistic ally. Being an avid admirer of Naughty Dog and Neil’s video game creations, I am tremendously thrilled about the upcoming release of his new game. As Neil concentrates on that project, I will carry on working alongside our talented cast and crew to ensure we maintain the high standards our viewers have come to anticipate, according to Mazin’s statement on his co-director’s departure.

In 2023, the series The Last of Us will premiere on HBO. This show tells the story of Joel, a tough-as-nails man, who is given the responsibility of escorting Ellie, a young girl immune to a deadly fungal pandemic that has devastated America, through a United States overrun by zombies in an attempt to save humankind.

The first season of the dystopian drama series turned out to be a massive success, garnering a staggering 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes and attracting one of the biggest opening-week viewerships for an HBO Max and HBO debut, as reported by Deadline.

The second season, launched in April and concluded on May 25th, was another success, however it didn’t receive as much acclaim as its previous installment. It garnered fewer viewers and there was a noticeable drop in ratings throughout the series.

The third season of “The Last of Us” was officially given the go-ahead in early April, mere days before the debut of Season 2 on HBO.

The Best Actually Scary Zombie Movies

1. 28 Days Later (2002)

Although director Danny Boyle doesn’t categorize “28 Days Later” as a traditional zombie film, it sparked renewed global curiosity about zombie movies and is still considered one of the top and scariest in its genre. The story unfolds approximately 28 days following a destructive “Rage Virus” outbreak in Great Britain, with bicycle messenger Jim (Cillian Murphy) waking up from a coma in a hospital to find himself in a post-apocalyptic landscape that he and a select few survivors are determined to flee. The infected aren’t the slow, shuffling undead we typically associate with zombies; they are swift, ferocious creatures whose bite instantly transforms victims into more members of the ravenous horde.

2. The Evil Dead (1981)

In Sam Raimi’s initial foray into the world of zombie movies, the chilling masterpiece titled “The Evil Dead,” veers far from the comedic whims he later explored. This horror film is as spine-chilling as zombie movies can get. A group of college students find themselves in a remote cabin after playing a tape recording designed to summon the dead. They are then hunted by an army of demons who relentlessly slaughter them and take over their lifeless bodies. As the story unfolds, the protagonist Ash Williams (portrayed by Bruce Campbell), along with his companions, endure every imaginable gruesome scene that Raimi and his special effects team could devise – from tree-like zombies to grotesque “Deadites” with glaring white eyes and decaying flesh.

3. The Girl with All the Gifts (2016)

Fungal zombies have gained popularity due to the video game series “The Last of Us” and its TV adaptation, but “The Girl with All the Gifts” stands out as one of the few movies featuring fungus zombies – and it’s undoubtedly the darkest. In a post-apocalyptic world overrun by a fungal parasite that transforms hosts into ravenous “hungries,” a group of remaining humans are conducting research on children who were born with the parasite but retain their cognitive abilities. A young girl named Melanie (Sennia Nanua) eventually concludes that these experiments are futile, and that her kind – intelligent infected capable of partially suppressing their flesh-craving instincts – should be the ones to inherit the earth once the rest of humanity perishes.

4. I Am Legend (2007)

In “I Am Legend,” a chilling blend of vampire and zombie horror is employed to bring forth its terrifying antagonists, the “Darkseekers.” These creatures are the result of a cancer cure gone wrong, transforming into a lethal virus. They are undead beings, bloodthirsty and swift, roaming the streets of New York City in search of their prey. Unlike traditional zombies, these creatures demonstrate intelligence and the ability to strategize, working together, setting traps, and even rescuing their own kind from perceived threats (humans). The horror of being a mutated bloodsucker, fully aware of your own condition, might just be more terrifying than any alternative.

5. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Although it’s not the first zombie film ever produced, George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead is the one that started all the subsequent productions. Even after more than 50 years, this classic horror movie remains chilling. The frightening aspect of the movie isn’t just the zombies but the concept that every single deceased person, no matter where they are buried, comes back to life and roams the earth. In this film, the unfortunate protagonists spend the night close to a cemetery, and unfortunately, even the outbreak of an undead apocalypse doesn’t lead them to put aside their differences and cooperate for survival with a Black man.

6. Pontypool (2008)

It’s astonishing to think that Orson Welles could once instill widespread fear by airing The War of the Worlds as a live broadcast, but after watching Pontypool, such an event seems more plausible. This movie is set entirely within a local radio station in Pontypool, Ontario, where the resident shock-jock announces a riot at a doctor’s office, during which people attempted to eat each other. This disturbing incident turns out to be a viral outbreak that spreads through the English language. In a horde of zombies, how can you defend yourself when communication with fellow survivors is impossible? Pontypool demonstrates that a gripping horror film doesn’t necessarily require a large budget or intricate concepts.

7. Rabid (1977)

One of David Cronenberg’s most gruesome and terrifying films, yet one of his least-watched, is his 1977 independent production titled “Rabid“. This film combines elements of vampire and zombie genres with a chilling body horror twist. In the story, after surviving a severe car accident that left her gravely injured, Rose (played by Marilyn Chambers) undergoes unconventional skin graft surgery that results in a horrifying new organ growing from her armpit. This strange growth triggers an insatiable thirst for human blood within her. As each of her victims are infected with this craving, they cause havoc across Canada as they go on a rampage, biting and spreading the condition further. The film draws inspiration from the fear of infectious diseases prevalent during the 1970s, as well as Cronenberg’s own fascination with unsettling medical professionals and groundbreaking procedures. In many ways, Rose is both victim and villain in this gripping tale.

8. Train to Busan (2016)

Train to Busan is an exhilarating fast-paced zombie film, not only due to the swift-moving infected zombies in search of prey, but also because it vividly demonstrates how quickly a zombie epidemic could engulf a nation. Within mere hours, the virus sweeps across South Korea in this movie, which is primarily set within the confined space of a speeding train traveling from Seoul to Busan. The film chronicles a group of passengers dealing with the spreading zombie horde across their country, as well as the relentless undead fellow travelers on their own train who are determined to attack them.

9. The Wailing (2016)

In a fusion of Eastern and Western ghost stories, subtly referencing the brutal history of colonization, the film “The Wailing” swaps frenetic zombie carnage for an eerie sense of apprehension. Upon the arrival of a puzzling Japanese man in a remote South Korean village, a bizarre illness emerges, compelling its victims to slaughter their loved ones. As the officer’s daughter contracts this affliction, he embarks on a quest to uncover the source and whether it ties to the mysterious arrival. However, as more chilling supernatural occurrences unfold, he must ponder if something demonic is at play instead. While there may be fewer scenes of undead sprinting through cities, the movie compensates with unsettling suspense and dread.

10. World War Z (2013)

As a dedicated cinephile, I’d say that Max Brooks’ novel “World War Z” offers a chilling account of a global zombie outbreak from various perspectives worldwide. The movie version, on the other hand, adopts a more story-driven approach, which was met with criticism initially but still stands as one of the most terrifying zombie films ever made.

In this cinematic interpretation, our protagonist is Gerry Lane (played by Brad Pitt), a former UN investigator who finds himself on a globe-trotting mission to aid the US Navy in finding a cure for a devastating virus sweeping across the world. Along his journey, he encounters different stages of the outbreak, leaving an indelible impression.

The movie doesn’t strive for realism like the book but manages to deliver pulse-pounding action with zombie antagonists. One unforgettable scene is when a relentless horde of zombies piles up and scales a colossal wall, a testament to the filmmakers’ creative vision.

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2025-07-02 22:25