5 things to know about HBO series "The Last of Us" filming in Alberta

You might have noticed that parts of Alberta have been turned into a post-apocalyptic wasteland lately, but not to worry: the zombies aren’t invading (yet); it’s just the magic of film.

Upcoming HBO series The Last of Us has been spotted shooting in various locations across the province, including Calgary and Edmonton.

The Last of Us is based on a 2013 video game of the same name, and it follows the journey of Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting teenager Ellie across the post-apocalyptic United States. What starts as a small job becomes a difficult trek, as the pair travels across the US and must depend on each other for survival.

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Even if it’s not their usual “thing,” Albertans might find themselves watching The Last of Us when it’s released, just to see if they can spot familiar locations in the show.

Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming series.

Cast

The cast of The Last of Us is made up of a few big names, including actors you might recognize from another HBO show: Game of Thrones.

Joel Miller will be played by Pedro Pascal, known for his role as Oberyn Martell in GoT, along with parts in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Law & Order, Without a Trace, The Good Wife, Homeland, Narcos, The Mandalorian, Wonder Woman 1984, and more.

Bella Ramsay plays Ellie and has appeared as Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones. Ramsay has also been in His Dark Materials, Requiem, Holmes & Watson, The Worst Witch, and other films and TV shows.

According to IMDb, other notable roles include:

Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation, Fargo) as Bill
Anna Torv (Fringe) as Tess
Murray Bartlett (Noor, August, Farscape) as Frank
Gabriel Luna (Terminator: Dark Fate, Agents of SHIELD) as Tommy
Merle Dandridge (The Flight Attendant) as Marlene
Jeffrey Pierce (Castle Rock) as Perry
Nico Parker (Dumbo, Reminiscence) as Sarah
Storm Reid (Euphoria, Twelve Years a Slave, A Wrinkle in Time) as Riley Abel
Brendan Fletcher (Freddy vs. Jason) as Robert
Brad Leland (Friday Night Lights, Hancock) as Mr. Adler
Natasha Mumba (Y: The Last Man, The Handmaid’s Tale) as Kim Tembo
James Hibbard (Good Boys, To All the Boys: PS I Still Love You) as Principal

Crew

The show is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin (HBO’s Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann of The Last of Us and Uncharted video game franchises.

Carolyn Strauss (HBO’s Chernobyl and Game of Thrones) and Rose Lam (The Firm, A Series of Unfortunate Events) will also serve as executive producers, along with Evan Wells from the original game’s developer, Naughty Dog, and PlayStation Productions’ Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan.

According to IMDb, the series’ music is by Gustavo Santaolalla, and the cinematography is by Ksenia Sereda and Eben Bolter. The production is edited by Mark Hartzell and Joel T. Pashby, and Victoria Thomas was responsible for the show’s casting.

Production design is by John Paino, and Don Macaulay is the supervising art director. Paul Healy is behind the series’ set decoration, and Cynthia Ann designed the costumes.

A complete list of the production’s crew can be found here.

Locations

The Last of Us has been spotted filming in a number of Alberta locations. These include:

Calgary (Downtown and Beltline neighbourhoods, with the 4th Avenue flyover, sections of Memorial Drive, and 1st Street between 11th Avenue and 13th Avenue SW closed to traffic for the production, along with Mount Royal University, SAIT, and Northland Village Mall.)
Canmore (The 600 to 800 blocks of Canmore’s Main Street were closed to vehicles for filming, with the Engine Bridge as an additional location)
Edmonton (Alberta Legislature grounds, with road closures on 108th Street between Jasper Avenue and 100th Avenue, 104th Street south of 102nd Avenue to mid-block north of Jasper Avenue, and Rice Howard Way.)
Fort Macleod
High River (Beachwood Estates)
Okotoks (Filming will take place in February 2022 on Suntree Lane and 500 Suntree Place, contained in the space between Robinson Drive and 29 Suntree Lane.)

Production dates

According to ACTRA Alberta, production of the project began in July 2021 and is set to wrap in June 2022.

The show was filmed in Fort Macleod in July 2021 and was spotted in both Edmonton and Calgary in October 2021. Production occurred in Canmore in November 2021 and was back in Calgary at Mount Royal University and SAIT later that month.

The production returned to Calgary in the new year, taking place at Northland Village Mall in January 2022, and filming is set to happen in Okotoks this February.

Where to watch it

The show is slated to be released on HBO and HBOMax later in 2022, according to IMBd. HBO lists the show on its website as “coming soon.”

Canadian viewers can subscribe to the HBO package through Crave.