While fans of The Last of Us are currently discovering the second season of the HBO series adaptation, Naughty Dog is working on its next video game: Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. But the studio must absolutely make this decision to ensure greater success!
Intergalactic: a choice that could benefit everyone
Launched on April 14, 2025 on HBO and the Max platform, season 2 of The Last of Us has put Naughty Dog's famous post-apocalyptic franchise back in the news. Like the video game The Last of Us Part II, of which it adapts the first section, this new batch of episodes is sparking heated debates on social networks. It must be said that in addition to bringing to the small screen some of the most shocking events of the game, notably the brutal end of a character beloved by fans, season 2 of The Last of Us has completely disrupted the chronology of the original game, at the risk of dividing fans even more.
While Neil Druckmann and his co-showrunner Craig Mazin have received the green light from HBO to launch a third season of The Last of Us, the creative director of Naughty Dog is also working on another particularly ambitious project: the video game Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, the first original license from the American studio since the release of The Last of Us in 2013 and whose first official trailer was revealed last December. Telling the adventures of bounty hunter Jordan A. Mun - played by actress Tati Gabrielle, who plays Nora in season 2 of The Last of Us -, it is a sci-fi epic paying homage to both Akira by Katsuhiro Ōtomo and Cowboy Bebop by Shin'ichirō Watanabe.
Despite the review bombing - notably due to the epicene nature of the heroine's first name - which forced Naughty Dog to disable the trailer's commentary section, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophetis full of great promise. Moreover, we can expect the video game to be adapted for film or television. Indeed, during the 2020s, Naughty Dog decided to bring its two biggest licenses (Uncharted and The Last of Us) to the big and small screen; and given the deeply cinephile nature of the trailer for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, an adaptation seems obvious! However, it would seem wise for Naughty Dog to change its strategy regarding the adaptation of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Indeed, instead of a strict adaptation of the original material, the license would greatly benefit from a prequel series that would expand its universe. While the video game will focus on the bounty hunter's adventures on the inhospitable planet Sempiria - isolated from the rest of the universe for 600 years and inhabited by hostile robots - Neil Druckmann and his teams could thus reveal to the public the full potential of this retrofuturistic and inspired universe!
Releasing a film or television adaptation before, in parallel with, or after the video game would have the advantage of increasing public interest in Naughty Dog's title. Of course, there's no guarantee that Neil Druckmann and the Sony team will take the gamble of an expanded, transmedia universe for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. What do you think of this idea? Let us know in the comments section. And if you found this article interesting, we encourage you to check out this medieval zombie film currently in development!
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