Neil Druckmann on a possible third season of ‘The Last of Us’

Naughty Dog’s ‘The Last of Us’ franchise has enjoyed great success in video games, leaving behind two installments that have been widely acclaimed by gamers. Ahead of rumors of a third part, Neil Druckmann clarifies what will happen to Joel and Ellie’s future and how it could affect the HBO adaptation starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

In an interview for IGN, Neil Druckmann spoke about the future of ‘The Last of Us’. The outlet insisted that the HBO adaptation would affect the creative’s future work in the video game franchise, to which Neil “didn’t comment” on the matter. For now, the director says his short-term efforts are focused on multiplayer that will arrive “later this year”.

But the creative insists that if there is a third of ‘The Last of Us’, they have to come up with “a really beautiful and compelling story,” said Druckmann. “Beyond that, it’s the same perspective we’ve always had. We don’t do something we’re not very passionate about.” Also, he recently said that another of his franchises like ‘Uncharted’ will not be getting another iteration.

“Our process is the same as what we did when we made ‘Part 2.’ I mean, if we can come up with a compelling story that has this universal message and statement about love, just like the first and second games, then we’re going to tell that story. If we don’t get there, we have a very strong ending with ‘Part 2’ and that will be the end of it,” concluded the Naughty Dog creative.

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Will there be a third season of ‘The Last of Us’?

How do these statements affect the adaptation of ‘The Last of Us?’ Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann agree they don’t want to make the Game of Thrones mistake and extend the series without a backstory. Therefore, if there is a third party to the video game, it means potentially there would be more than two seasons in the live show.

It is worth mentioning that they both talked about the possibility of dividing the story of the second video game into two seasons, since “The Last of Us: Part II” is much longer than its previous installment, which would mean that Joel’s journey and Ellie would have maybe 3 seasons. And if the third game is made, perhaps the storyline will need to be expanded to a fifth.

“We pretty much covered the first game this first season. The remaining material is a bit more complicated and quite extensive than in the first game. There’s really no way to tell the story of the second game in one season,” Mazin told The Playlist.