A Canadian union’s president has that HBO’s The Last of Us, which is being filmed in Alberta, is a “monster” with five art directors, hundreds of technicians, and a budget that’s well over eight figures per episode. That’s anywhere between $10 million to $99 million so while we don’t know specific numbers, Sony and HBO seem to be firing on all cylinders here.
IATSE 212 President Damian Petti’s comments were published in a CTV News article, which talks about the town of Fort Macleod becoming one of Alberta’s most popular filming locations.
“The Last of Us which commences photography this week is indeed a monster,” Petti told CTV News Calgary. “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. I cannot confirm the official budget numbers but will say it is likely the largest project shooting in Canada. This project well exceeds the eight figure per episode mark so there is a multiplier effect on our economy in terms of its impact. There are hundreds of related businesses benefitting from the plethora of work.”
The Last of Us will begin filming this month, following which its cast and crew will move to Calgary for production work.
“We are just so honored that we were one of the towns that were selected to be the host of such a magnificent storyline as well as all the special effects and everything that are going on with it,” added Fort Macleod’s Chief Administrative Officer, Sue Keenan.
HBO’s The Last of Us has yet to be dated.
