Almost a year after it was announced that one of TV’s biggest blockbuster series was moving to B.C. to film, we’re getting our first look at one of the sets for The Last of Us.
Filming has begun on season two of the hit HBO show, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, after moving from Alberta for season one.
Video of the set shows a house nestled in the forest, with a huge flag, camera cranes and lights.
The set in Mission is in full production but the details are shrouded in secrecy.
“We’re a small community, so to have big productions or small productions decide that they want to use us, I think, is really great,” Lindsay Steffich, film clerk for the City of Mission, told Global News. “It’s really great for our community.”
The Last of Us was a huge success for the Alberta economy.
According to a report by Oxford Economics, $141 million was spent across the province to ensure the show became a reality, making it the largest series ever filmed in Canada.
“Including $70 million on labour and $70 million at local businesses, so that’s everything from hotels, airlines, lumber, paint, set (decorations), vehicle rentals, you name it, they spent a lot of money in the province,” said Brock Skretting, director of Creative Industries with Economic Development Lethbridge.
Other filming locations in B.C. are rumoured to be Langley and Kamloops.
“We’ve been putting in the work to make sure that people are aware that we are a viable option as a filming location,” Terri Hadwin, the Thompson-Nicola film commissioner, said.
“We have great tax incentives to come into our area. So not only do you have the base, B.C. film tax credit, but we also have an additional tax credit for being just a little bit outside of the Lower Mainland.”
Overall, the first season of The Last of Us generated more than $182 million for Alberta’s GDP and helped support 1,490 jobs across the province.
— with files from Micah Quintin