Fans of the popular post-apocalyptic video game The Last of Us may have the chance to appear in its HBO television adaptation.
According to Keep Alberta Rolling, a non-profit dedicated to spreading awareness about jobs in the film industry, anyone over the age of 18 can apply to the casting call for a chance to become an extra in the television series.
A Facebook post from the organization outlined the details, after it was contacted by the casting professionals to help spread the word.
“They put an open casting call out to southern Alberta, for people who might be interested and might have days that they’re available to come out and be part of the fun, be part of the atmosphere,” said Brock Skretting, the head of advocacy and tourism.
“Of course, we’re in COVID-times so they can’t do in-person line up casting call like they would typically do, so they’re doing that all online.”
The Last of Us production is scheduled to begin after the Canada Day long weekend and go until June 8, 2022.
Skretting said filming will be taking place in-and-around Fort Macleod, Lethbridge, High River, and Calgary, creating a lot of job opportunities for the region.
“We love hiring local, we love hiring people that are out of work and making sure that money is going into the local economy,” he said.
He added this likely won’t be the only casting call, as the series plans to film until next summer.
The casting call asked people to fill out an application and include two photo: one from the waist up and a full-length picture (no selfies.)
Applicants were told to look natural, with hair down and their face clearly visible. People of any ethnicity are welcome to apply, and the call extends to vehicles as well.
“They’re also looking for — it’s not a requirement — but if people have vehicles that are from 1995-2003, that’ll also play into because it doesn’t happen in current times, but a little bit in the past in the show.”
In the video game, the country was ravaged by a fungus two decades earlier that turned most people into zombie mutants and left the human survivors hostile and cannibalistic.
The storyline follows a smuggler named Joel, who is tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie, out of an oppressive quarantine zone and across post-apocalyptic America.
The show will star Game of Thrones‘ actors Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay.
Pre-production of the TV series got underway in March, according to both the Director’s Guild of Canada and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 212 — the Calgary chapter of the labour union, which represents over 140,000 technicians, artists and craftspersons in the entertainment industry in Canada and the United States.
The Last of Us, by video game developer Naughty Dog, sold more than 17 million copies and won hundreds of awards in its industry. It also inspired The Last of Us Part II, a sequel released last year.
— With files from Karen Bartko, Global News
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