Latest news with #Druckmann
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Last of Us showrunner teases potential third video game instalment
The Last of Us showrunner Neil Druckmann has shared his thoughts on the possibilities of a third game in the franchise saying that he would 'jump at' the opportunity. The hit video game has been adapted into a critically acclaimed and Emmy award-winning HBO series starring Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna and Catherine O'Hara. The second season began last month and will reach its conclusion with the seventh episode this weekend. While based on the 2020 video game sequel The Last of Us Part II, it's still not close to bringing the game's full story to the screen. Although a third season has been confirmed by HBO, a release date has yet to be confirmed. Details on which of the game's narratives the season will follow have not been disclosed, although it is likely to focus on Kaitlyn Dever's antagonist Abby. Speaking to the Sacred Symbols podcast, Druckmann, who is also the head of creative at video game developer Naughty Dog, has now dropped a hint that a third game could be in the works, potentially giving the show more stories to play with in the future. When asked about the possibility of a third game, the 46-year-old said: 'While I'm the caretaker of this franchise, it's important that everything is of high quality. I don't want to just make a lot of it. I want to be very thoughtful about everything we make. 'When we did the show, we teamed up with, I feel, the best TV makers with HBO and we're making the best version of that. 'If we were ever to come back to it, I want to make sure it's a story worthy of The Last of Us. I love that world, I love these characters. With the right opportunity, with the right idea, yeah, I would totally jump at it.' Druckmann's words echo those of fellow showrunner Craig Mazin, who recently said that he hopes the dystopian series will run for at least two more seasons to allow for the completion of the show's narrative. Speaking to Collider, Mazin explained that 'there's no way to complete this narrative in a third season. Hopefully, we'll earn our keep enough to come back and finish it in a fourth.' He also hinted that the third season would feature more episodes than the second. Asked by the publication about why the writers chose to end season two where it does, Mazin responded: 'We always think ahead. We thought ahead to Season 3 and Season 4, to try to get as much visibility as we can, so that we don't end up in a situation where we're sitting down and getting into details for a season and then going, 'Oh, man, if only we hadn't had that person say that one line or be in that spot or wear that jacket, this would be so much cooler.' 'So, we really do try to think things through fundamentally. The challenge for our first season was, how do we tell this big story in a way that's complete and doable within an amount of time and with the budget we have? And with this season, it was, 'OK, this source material goes way beyond one season.''
Express Tribune
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Naughty Dog, Neil Druckmann confirms production on new game has begun
Listen to article Renowned game director and Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann has confirmed that the studio is developing an unannounced new IP, sparking a wave of speculation across the gaming world. Known for The Last of Us and Uncharted, Druckmann now finds himself steering multiple projects, including the upcoming Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and HBO's The Last of Us adaptation. In a recent interview with Steffan Powell on the Press X to Continue podcast, Druckmann revealed that, while his primary focus remains Intergalactic, he is also overseeing another, as-yet-unannounced game as an executive producer. Though he offered no concrete details, his comments confirm the existence of a second AAA title in development at Naughty Dog. 'It's more of a producer role this time,' said Druckmann, noting he's working with other directors on both projects. 'I'm in the room, helping shape things, but not necessarily leading from the front.' This marks a shift in approach for Druckmann, who previously emphasised his preference to focus on one project at a time. Back in February, he explained that game development is 'all-consuming,' which made it difficult to juggle multiple titles. Yet the demands of Intergalactic, combined with Naughty Dog's evolving slate, appear to have pushed him into new territory. Industry insiders have linked the unannounced project to a potential Uncharted spin-off. According to reports from well-known leaker Daniel Richtman, the game is being directed by Uncharted: The Lost Legacy's Shaun Escayg and has been in development for more than three years. If true, the timeline aligns with Naughty Dog's previous approach — the studio announced Intergalactic after four years of behind-the-scenes work. Fans are now speculating that the studio may be preparing a major reveal at an upcoming gaming event, potentially mirroring Intergalactic's unveiling at The Game Awards 2024. Druckmann's increasing openness about the mystery title has only added fuel to the fire. Adding to his packed schedule, Druckmann is also deeply involved in The Last of Us's live-action adaptation on HBO and has reportedly been mentoring the lead actress of Intergalactic on handling online criticism. While nothing is confirmed, the signs suggest Naughty Dog is gearing up for another high-profile announcement. Until then, fans can only wait — and speculate — about what's next for one of gaming's most acclaimed studios.
Metro
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
The Last Of Us 3 suffers new blow as Naughty Dog admit to second secret game
The makers of The Last Of Us are working a second new game that doesn't seem to be a sequel and is by the creative director of Mavel's Avengers. It's now five years since Naughty Dog has released a brand new game. That means they haven't launched anything entirely new on the PlayStation 5, just remakes like The Last Of Us Part 1. They did announce Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet last year, but they didn't say when it would be out or show anything other than a few seconds of gameplay. The assumption is that Intergalactic will be their next game, but studio head Neil Druckmann has revealed that he's also working on a second unannocued new game. Naughty Dog has said before that they're making 'multiple' new single-player games at the moment, but there's no clue as to what they are. However, whatever this second title is it's very unlikely to be The Last Of Us Part 3, because Druckmann says he is not the director. Druckmann has been inconsistent when discussing The Last Of Us Part 3, at times implying it has little chance of ever being made and at other times admitting he has an outline for the story. Sony would no doubt love a third game, but Naughty Dog's fame and level of success appears to give them the freedom to do whatever they want, including cancelling plans for The Last Of Us Online. Druckmann's comments were made as part of a Press X to Continue podcast, where he revealed that, 'there's another game that's being worked on at Naughty Dog where I am more of a producer role.' 'I get to mentor and watch this other team, and give feedback and be the executive in the room,' he added. Unless he feels it's something Sony has forced upon the studio, it seems very unlikely that Druckmann would take such a back seat role for The Last Of Us Part 3, considering he was a director on the first two games (and heavily involved in the TV show). His comments give no clue as to what this secret game is but back in March movie insider DanielRPK suggested that Naughty Dog has a second game underway, that's not The Last Of Us Part 3, and is being led by Shaun Escayg. More Trending That matches very closely with what Druckmann said, with DanielRPK suggesting that the new game has already been in development for three years (a triple-A game usually needs at least five years nowadays). Escayg started as an animator, before directing half-sequel Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and becoming creative director for Marvel's Avengers and then The Last Of Us Part 1 (as that implies, he left and then rejoined Naughty Dog). Although there have been rumours of a remake, Naughty Dog has stated multiple times that it is done with the Uncharted franchise, with reports that Sony has been trying, so far unsuccessfully, to get other studios to work on it instead. That's where the solid rumours dry up but there has been fan talk for some time now that Naughty Dog is working on a new fantasy IP, possibly one involving dragons. There's little evidence for that, but if the new game has been in development for three years, that could be the source of those rumours… Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear spiritual successor won't be out this decade MORE: Anno 117: Pax Romana hands-on preview – building a better Britain MORE: You can play Switch 2 at Gamescom 2025 as Nintendo confirms attendance
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The Last of Us' cocreator Neil Druckman on Joel's return, why Pearl Jam's ‘Future Days' stayed in the show, and what's ahead in the season finale
WARNING: The following piece contains spoilers about the latest episode of The Last of Us The Last of Us cocreator Neil Druckmann wouldn't always direct the penultimate episode of Season 2. However, after conversing with cocreator Craig Mazin, The Last of Us Part II video game cocreator Halley Gross, and star Pedro Pascal, Druckmann's choice became obvious. More from GoldDerby The making of 'Matlock': 'I wanted it to be a love letter to women in the workforce' 'The White Lotus' will enter these 20 Season 3 actors - along with surprise submission Ke Huy Quan - for the 2025 Emmys How 'The Last of Us' cinematographer Ksenia Sereda made Joel come back to life in emotional flashback episode 'Pedro really wanted to work with me again, so I was eyeing 206, and I was kind of really sitting with it, because it's a pretty big commitment once you pick one of these things. But I just liked the idea of doing one more deep dive, one last bite of the apple, with Joel and Ellie [Bella Ramsey], these characters I love so much.' Directed by Druckmann (who previously stepped behind the camera to direct the first season's second episode) and cowritten by Druckmann, Gross, and Mazin, the emotional episode covers the five years between the end of Season 1 and the start of Season 2, revealing how Joel and Ellie's relationship strained under the weight of Joel's deadly choices in the Season 1 finale. 'This episode gets to the core of who they are and their conflict,' Druckmann says. 'So I just liked that it felt kind of high-stakes material that I'm really passionate about. And I also like the idea that, unlike the episode I directed last season, which was very action-oriented in many ways, this one had no action. It was all drama. And I felt like I could really stretch myself by committing to this.' Ahead, Druckmann discusses Joel and Ellie's final conversation, explains why Pearl Jam's 'Future Days' remained part of the show despite the timeline change, and teases the season finale. Gold Derby: The conversation between Joel and Ellie on the porch is the penultimate scene of The Last of Us Part II. However, for the show, you decided to put it here in Season 2 when there is so much more story to tell. Why the change? Neil Druckmann: This gets into the difference in medium. When you buy the game, you have the entire story and can play it at any pace. You can do an hour a day, two hours a day. You can binge the whole thing in 30 hours. That means you have the entire story. But we deliver the story weekly for the show, roughly one hour at a time. So, because this is not the whole story, there was going to be, potentially, a multiyear gap before we get back to this moment. If it were in the same spot as in the game, we would have all these set-ups here in Season 2 with Ellie and Joel, and then you won't get the payoff for years. We'd have to hope that you remember all these little bits by the time we got to it, and it just felt too big of a risk. Ultimately, the location felt less important than for it to land powerfully. That's why we wanted to consolidate all the flashbacks to one point, move them far enough away from Joel's death, where you could feel the characters missing him, the audience could miss him, and then we give you a whole bunch of him at once. It's one final bite of the apple. That porch conversation speaks explicitly to the entire show, going back to Episode 1, and eventually to the final episode, whenever we get to it. This is a unique episode for the show because the story is a tiered flashback — we're watching memories of events Joel and Ellie experienced. How did you approach that as the director and find the proper perspective? It's a good question that no one has asked me. In the game, they were Ellie's memories. We were very specific about where we triggered them. Here, except for a couple of exceptions, the entire episode is from Joel's point of view. So I don't quite see them the same way. You could say Ellie recalls parts of this throughout her journey. In the last episode, 205, you see her pick up the guitar and play one line of "Future Days"; there's this dark note underneath it all. You could imagine she was picturing the moment from 206 right there, when Joel plays the song, even though we don't cut to it. So I treat it a little bit differently. And as a director, I treated it as Joel's point of view. This is how he views Ellie. He is wrestling with his feelings for Ellie and the lie and all of that. How did you discuss that with Pedro? Anytime you can collaborate with a great artist, it's my favorite part of what I do — whether here at Naughty Dog or on the show. And Pedro is an incredible actor. Often it's just getting out of his way, just creating the right space — maybe reminding him of a few facts about what has happened. I don't like talking too much about the process with actors, especially when we share intimate stuff. However, I can say that for the porch scene, I reminded him of what Joel's dad told him because Pedro wasn't there when we shot that scene. I was just, "This is kind of programming that has stayed with Joel all these years, and this thought in the back of his mind is: I just want the kid to be better than me." It was almost like a mantra that Joel would be repeating. I think that helped him unlock some stuff, but I don't want to give my direction too much credit with such brilliant actors. So I will say a few things to try a different option, and then just stand back and watch them do brilliant work. You mentioned 'Future Days,' and the song is foundational to the video game. However, in the show's timeline, 'Future Days' technically doesn't exist: Pearl Jam's Lightning Bolt album came out in the fall of 2013, and the show shifted the start of the Cordyceps outbreak from 2013 to 2003. Not to be too pedantic, but how did you reconcile that discrepancy? This goes back to a decision we made in Season 1. It was important for Craig to change the timeline because he didn't want the show to take place in the future like it does in the game. When we were in the show's present day, he also wanted it to be the present day for us. That's not that important to me. That was an easy concession for me to make. But then we've run into a few adaptation issues, you might say, as we went along. So, I wanted to honor that, and to say, because of the timeline change, we couldn't use "Future Days." We planned not to use "Future Days," and we had a different song in mind. And as we were getting closer and closer to shooting this particular episode, it just felt wrong. It just didn't feel correct. And then we traded it for another song, which didn't feel right. And then at some point, we're just like, "OK, what's more important, the canon of our reality, or the emotional truth that this song gives us?" It also has this nostalgic value for fans. We don't always value that nostalgic value because we want to tell the best show possible. But this felt like a small concession to make. Also, we don't have a fungal outbreak in our world, so we're already in some parallel dimension. In that dimension, Lightning Bolt came out before Binaural [Pearl Jam's 2000 album]. In terms of the 'nostalgic value,' do you find it challenging when fans of the game have criticized the show for not following the exact path of the game? Because I feel so privileged and lucky as an artist, as a writer, as a storyteller, you hope that you can put something out into the world that someone will connect with and they'll engage with it. On a deep level, we have put something into the world that millions of people across the entire planet are engaging with. And yes, some people have issues with the adaptation. Some people have issues with even the source material, and they're wrestling with it and arguing about it. But to me, the fact that a video game can be talked about on the same level as a prestige HBO show, and some people say, "Oh, the game's better, or the show's better." First, I find it fascinating — just the idea of this adaptation. No one has quite done an adaptation like this before. Then, two, I'm just reminded of how far video games have come, even in my short career of making them. They can be talked about at this level for The Last of Us, Fallout, Arcane, or Sonic — take your pick of these recent adaptations. And I think more and more people are seeing just how rich narratives can be in video games. So, for me, there are certain things that the order of how we do things on the show is different from the game. There are a bunch of other reasons why we did that. But I just read this stuff, and I kind of smile. I'm like, "Oh, you'll see that later." People were worried, for example, that Ellie and Dina wouldn't hook up. And we knew that was going to happen. I will say, I'm pretty loose with that stuff. I understand that a lot of change needs to happen as we go to TV. What's important to me to keep is the destinations and what the story is ultimately about. One example of fleshing this show out from the game is in the depiction of Eugene. He's mentioned in the game, but we don't meet him; in this episode, we get to see how he died and learn a little about his relationship with Gail. I was really surprised by how all of that played out. That sequence was fascinating in that we had one idea when we wrote it, and then when you're directing it and shooting it, being open to what the actors are giving you, and allowing yourself to make specific changes and adjustments. So we cast Eugene in the game and the show, you hear about this character that everybody likes, and he would smoke weed and get everybody high, and he had this weird bong gas mask thing that you got to see in the episode. So we wrote him to have more humor. So even as Joel marched him to his death, he was saying funny stuff. Even in his last moments, when he was very angry, we had a line in there that I thought was hilarious when I read it — it was Craig's suggestion: "I don't need a Bob Ross painting. I need Gail." And he's yelling at Joel. As I watched Joey deliver these moments, I realized he made this wonderful choice. The more scared he got, the more he acted like a child, like someone just terrified. And you know, Gail is his partner, but he's acting as if Gail is his mother or something — like she would comfort him. And the jokes felt inappropriate. It felt like we would lose the tone of the scene and the beauty of what he's doing. So, in real time, I started pulling that stuff out. And it just got better and better and more intimate and more intense. When we're right in front of him, you look into his eyes and see this, like, sigh, and he says, "I see her." It's interesting. I have two interpretations of that moment. One is like he actually sees her; Joel has given him this beautiful exit. And the other one is that he gives Joel the exit to say, "It's OK for you to do it. I understand what you've got to do." And they both kind of work. And I love that, because his performance is so nuanced in that way. What can you tease about the season finale? I would point to all the mysteries we still have. Ellie's looking for Abby and the rest of her crew. Is she going to find them? Did she get the information she needed from Nora? Now that you have the context of 206, not only the emotional relationship and where she was with Joel and the fact that she was robbed of reconciling with him all the way, but you also know that Ellie now knows what happened at that hospital. She has not shared it with anybody. Why is that? What does that mean for those close to her who have come with her on this journey? And maybe most importantly, Ellie has committed this dark act. Nora is the first person Ellie has killed who is responsible for Joel's death, or at least tortured her, whether she's dead or not. Is there coming back from that? Are there lines that you cross where you have forever lost your humanity? Or is there some redemption in there? Best of GoldDerby The making of 'Matlock': 'I wanted it to be a love letter to women in the workforce' Is 'SNL' new tonight? Host, musical guest details How Natasha Rothwell helped Belinda get her groove back in 'The White Lotus' Season 3 Click here to read the full article.
Evening Standard
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
Andor, The Last of Us, and TV's big problem with genocide
This uneasy parallel between the well-armed Israeli Defence Force (IDF) and Hamas's terrorism isn't happenstance. After The Last of Us season 1 became immensely popular, Druckmann gave an interview to Haaratz, where he carefully explained how the game and the show is 'inspired by, not based on' the Israeli-Palestine conflict. He also, to be clear, makes a clear call for empathy. He strives to see 'a group that I might hate on a very kind of fundamental level, and still trying to walk in their shoes' and points out that 'to get out of that cycle, you sometimes have to accept some form of what you might perceive as injustice'. In this show, there are no winners: each side is as brutal and monstrous as the other.
