HBO’s Adaptation of ‘The Last of Us’ Reportedly As Pricy As ‘Game of Thrones’
HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us videogame apparently isn’t skimping on anything.
The show, which stars Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) starts shooting this week in Alberta, Canada. Though the exact budget hasn’t been disclosed, it does look like it’s going to be huge.
According to CTV News, IATSE 212 President Damian Petti revealed that the series is a huge production that will employ hundreds of residents. “The Last of Us which commences photography this week is indeed a monster,” Petti said. “It has five art directors and employs an army of hundreds of technicians. It has had six months of prep and shoots (in Alberta) for 12 months.”
Petti didn’t confirm the budget, which looks to be in the hundreds of millions. “I cannot confirm the official budget numbers but will say it is likely the largest project shooting in Canada,” he said, in an email to CTV News, noting that each episode of the series (there will be ten in the first season) “…well exceeds the eight figure per episode mark.”
That’s at least $10M per episode. To compare, the first season of HBO’s Game of Thrones – which had a large cast and shot in numerous locations around the globe – only cost $6M an episode, though by the last season, that series had a $15M per episode price tag. Pascal’s other project, The Mandalorian, was just as expensive.
The show starts shooting in Fort Macleod and once filming wraps there, cast and crew will move to Calgary where they will be doing the majority of their production. Crews are revamping Fort Macleod’s main street, altering store fronts so that they fit in the show’s storylines.
The Last Of Us is based on a post-apocalyptic video game series by the same name that was released by game developer Naughty Dog in 2014. It has won multiple awards including Best Game, Best Story and Best Animation.
The television series will cover one game per season, and also stars Bella Ramsey as Ellie. Pascal will play Joel. Coincidentally, both actors appeared on Game of Thrones.
The show is scheduled to premiere on HBO in early 2022.
