The Last of Us Director Thinks a Story Starring Tommy Will Happen

The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann believes we will get some kind of spin-off centered around Tommy Miller, Joel’s brother in the game series. The Last of Us is one of the biggest franchises out there right now, not just in gaming, but all of entertainment following the recent TV series. Part of the reason it has worked so well is because of the incredibly rich, well-written and well-performed characters. Joel, Ellie, and the surrounding characters are easy to care about, have lots of nuance, and have been expertly carried by the respective actors that have played them across mediums. 

With that said, the series has been around for nearly 11 years and there are only two games and a TV show that adapts that first game pretty faithfully. Many are wondering if and when Naughty Dog may capitalize on the world it has created to expand it. It looked like that may come to fruition with the online spin-off of The Last of Us, but that was tragically canceled late last year. Since then, Naughty Dog has confirmed that is in the works and creator Neil Druckmann even teased more stories in that universe for the future. At the end of a new documentary about the making of The Last of Us Part II, Druckmann spoke about the future of the series. He noted that he had previously revealed that there was an outline for a new Last of Us game shortly after the second game’s release and many assumed that was a continuation of Ellie and Abby’s story, but that’s not the case. Druckmann and The Last of Us Part II co-writer outlined a new story centered around Tommy, but exact specifics were withheld. While that story was shelved, Druckmann believes it will see the light of day, but isn’t sure if it will be a game or a TV show.

Either way, it sounds like this game isn’t in the works right this second. There are a lot of possibilities here as Tommy is a character we know a very general history of. We know different things he was doing at different eras of his life, but the specifics of those stories have not been told. This could be a prequel that allows us to see what he and Joel got up to after the outbreak. It could be a story about Tommy after he separates from Joel. It could be some other journey he goes on after The Last of Us Part II. Either way, there is serious potential there and it’s exciting to know that we will likely get to see it one day. Whether it’s a shorter, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy-sized game or something more substantial remains to be seen.