Why Neil Druckmann's 'Last of Us' Departure Is Terrible News

In a shocking announcement, Neil Druckmann recently revealed through his various social media accounts that he will be stepping away from his creative duties on the HBO television adaptation of

The Last of Us, based on the two video games he wrote and directed. This means that any commitments the game developer had for the already announced Season 3 of

The Last of Us are no longer in effect. Given the track record of video game adaptations that lack involvement from the original creators, this news bodes poorly for the future of the series and its upcoming third season
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Ever since the live-action adaptation of The Last of Us was in development, whether in its early iterations as a feature film or as the Emmy-winning television series it is today, Druckmann has been involved with it every step of the way. Now that his vision for the world of

The Last of Us will no longer be present, there is a chance that crucial changes to the source material could occur, potentially upending the work the team accomplished in the first two seasons of the series. The result could be a series with an inconsistent vision, leaving viewers wondering what could have been had Druckmann seen the series through to its conclusion.

Video Game Adaptations That Lack Involvement From the Original Creators Tend To Fail

The biggest concern stemming from this news is the possibility of even more drastic changes to the story of

The Last of Us Part II, which has already been confirmed to continue being adapted in Season 3. Kaitlyn Dever is set to become the lead for the next batch of episodes, mirroring the double-album structure of the game, which had players controlling Ellie for the first half, followed by Abby in the second half, and finally playing an epilogue as Ellie. It was an ambitious narrative that challenged players' empathy (or lack thereof). Now,

the third season of the series will show Abby's perspective during Ellie's three days in Seattle.

Craig Mazin has already teased that Abby's side of the story will be much more ambitious than the previous season, as well as the possibility of more episodes than in Season 2.

The Last of Us Season 3 is arguably much more crucial to the overall story of The Last of Us Part II, as the audience's shifting perception of Abby will depend entirely on the quality of the writing, direction, and acting.

With Druckmann no longer involved with any facet of production in such a high-stakes season for the series, it's hard not to have some level of concern about how it could turn out
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The creator of an IP leaving an adaptation is never a good sign — adaptations that don't involve those who created the source material almost always end up not being good. One of the most prominent examples is another Naughty Dog property,

Uncharted. Released in 2022 and directed by Ruben Fleischer, this adaptation didn't involve series creator Amy Hennig or Uncharted 4 director Neil Druckmann in a creative capacity, resulting in a middling adaptation that mixes and matches stories from various games in the series. While a box office success, the film ultimately received negative reviews, a fate that could also befall the third (and possibly fourth) seasons of

The Last of Us.

Neil Druckmann's Departure From HBO's 'The Last of Us' Was at the Worst Time

Druckmann cites his duties as Studio Head of Naughty Dog and his work as writer and director on

Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet as reasons for stepping away. Interestingly, Halley Gross is also no longer involved with the series creatively, which some see as a worrying sign for the show's direction. Gross, who has previous writing credits with the HBO series

Westworld, had co-written The Last of Us Part II with Druckmann, and she has no current responsibilities with Naughty Dog (besides starring in Intergalactic as a character in the game). All of this suggests that perhaps the mixed audience reactions and harsh social media attention also played a role in Druckmann's (and possibly Gross's) decision.

Now, Craig Mazin will serve as the sole writer of The Last of Us Season 3, a heavy responsibility he must now shoulder alone, without the game's original creator. Druckmann is not only intimately familiar with the world and characters, but has also directed some of the best episodes of the series: the action-packed second episode of the first season titled "Infected," and the intimate and heartwrenching Joel flashback episode in Season 2 titled "The Price," making his departure from the show hit that much harder. The major changes introduced in Season 2 of

The Last of Us have already created a scenario where Mazin and the team face an uphill battle in Season 3, and Druckmann's absence could mean that it doesn't end well.

Mazin's interpretation of the world and characters has been hit or miss, with his controversial comments about Ellie's competency compared to Abby drawing the ire of some fans. In other instances, such as the Emmy-winning episode "Long Long Time," the writer/showrunner appears to have a profound understanding of the game's world and the themes that make it so captivating to audiences

. Humanizing and making Joel's murderer someone viewers can empathize with is an incredibly tall task for anyone, and it's hard to gauge how Mazin will handle the rest of the story without Druckmann to consult or have in the writers' room.

The Enduring Legacy of HBO's Adaptation of 'The Last of Us' Is in Jeopardy

Pedro Pascal as Joel in space in The Last of Us Season 2

HBO's The Last of Us

appears to have experienced a sort of sophomore slump following the universal acclaim it received upon its premiere in 2023. Changes in character interactions and the way Mazin, Druckmann, and Bella Ramsey brought Ellie's quest for vengeance to life have elicited a mixed reaction, sharply dividing fans of both the game and the show. Still, the core themes of the second game remain intact for now, but it's hard to say that they will stay that way, given the trajectory the show is headed towards, with the absence of key creative figures.

It will be interesting to see how the next season of The Last of Us unfolds, and whether Mazin and the rest of the team can continue to create a faithful adaptation without a key member of their team. With discussions of a fourth season still ongoing, the future of the HBO adaptation and its enduring legacy as one of the more successful video game adaptations suddenly feels like it is in jeopardy. Hopefully, the production team can find a path forward by building on the foundations that Mazin and Druckmann previously established, remaining faithful to the source material while making it engaging for television audiences.

The Last of Us is streaming on HBO Max.

Shaquille O'Neal and Jerry West Were Shocked by Jeanie Buss' Top 5 Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the biggest franchises in the NBA, having had decades of championship success, legendary players and historic rivalries. Whether it was in the 1960s when Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain battled Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics, to Magic Johnson's head-to-head with Larry Bird, the Lakers have always been at the forefront of the league.

The likes of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant helped bring the good times again in the 2000s, before LeBron James restored the franchise to relevancy once again and led the team to a title victory in the bubble. Much like their arch-rivals the Celtics, the Lakers have plenty of championship banners taking pride of place at the Crypto.com Arena, while a number of famous jersey numbers have been retired too.

Given just how many Hall of Fame players have walked through the door, narrowing down a list of the five most important Lakers of all-time is always going to be a difficult task. But, it's something Jeanie Buss - the franchise's current controlling owner and president - attempted to do - and it's fair to say it sparked some very polarising reactions, to say the least.

Jeanie Buss Named Her 5 Most Important Los Angeles Lakers Ever

Appearing on the 'All the Smoke' podcast with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, Buss was asked to name her top five most important Los Angeles Lakers of all-time. Having tried to clarify what it meant by 'important', Buss put forward her first three names of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.

I like to say he's like the closest thing to a superhero I've ever met, in that he's so powerful and strong and smart, but he does things for the good. (Buss talking about LeBron)

She would then add Magic Johnson to her list after being prompted by Barnes, and then, after deliberating over her fifth and final pick, she settled on Phil Jackson after being told the legendary head coach would be a valid option too.

It all meant that Buss made some glaring omissions, not least the likes of Jerry West, who, as a Hall of Famer, was an incredible, championship-winning player for the franchise as well as leading the team to great success as an executive too. The logo himself, West was named to the NBA All-Star 14 times, while he also made the All-NBA First Team on 10 occasions.

Added to West, Elgin Baylor also didn't make the cut - a man widely regarded as one of the greatest forwards of all-time, while Shaquille O'Neal also didn't find himself in Buss' top five.

Shaquille O'Neal and Jerry West Reacted to Buss' Lakers Ranking

Jerry West in particular was particularly affronted by what Buss had to say, and the late, great Lakers star didn't mince his words when it came to discussing what he thought about the list.

I saw the other day Jeanie Buss made a statement, the five most important Lakers, one of the most offensive things I’ve ever heard in my life. I was there a lot of times, had a lot of success. Be curious to know if they would have had that success if I hadn’t been there.

And I don’t ever take credit for stuff, I don’t. When I was around, maybe I was just a good luck charm. But I do know, that when this thing fell apart, there was a lot of years where they weren’t very good.

Meanwhile, after seeing the post on Instagram revealing Buss' ranking of the most important Lakers, O'Neal could only comment 'whyyyyyyy'. The center had also previously responded to the list, and although he was keen to stress that he wouldn't say anything negative about Buss, he did question one selection in particular.

I love Jeanie Buss. I have never, would never say anything negative about Jeanie Buss. She gave me $120 million, $100 million, another $80 million. I would never, ever in my life say anything negative about Jeanie Buss and the Buss family. That is her opinion. I respect her opinion ... Look, I'm not mad about that. Listen, she's Jeanie Buss, that's her opinion. If you ask other people, the names will vary.

At 49, I'm a lot more peaceful than I was. If I was 29, I would say, 'Hold on, LeBron's only been there 720 days. How you gonna put him before me?' But look, I'm 49, I respect people's opinions.

Naturally, O'Neal feels aggrieved with seeing his name omitted from a list of the most important Lakers of all-time. Certainly, Shaq could not argue with the selections of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson, who many consider to be locks as some of the greatest Lakers in history. Adding Phil Jackson to the mix despite him being a head coach is also somewhat understandable given he masterminded a three-peat and then added a couple more titles after that too.

Where things get interesting - and somewhat controversial - is Buss' inclusion of LeBron, particularly as the former Cleveland Cavalier has only delivered one NBA title to the franchise and has struggled to get the team deep into the playoffs since. While there's no questioning his impact and greatness as a player overall, to have him ahead of the likes of West and O'Neal as the most important Lakers ever does seem somewhat short-sighted.

Shaq was the biggest factor behind the Lakers winning three titles in a row from 2000 to 2002, winning Finals MVP each time. Add to that his MVP-winning season in 2000, and the fact he was named to the All-NBA First Team for every year bar one that he was with the Lakers, and it's easy to see why many consider him one of the greatest players in Lakers history, and also why he's regarded as one of the best centers of all-time in the NBA.