#HBO’s The Last of Us Is on Track to Be One of the Most Expensive TV Shows Ever Made

HBO is not fooling around in bringing the beloved video game The Last of Us to the small screen. The cable network is said to be spending tens of millions per episode, which will make it one of the most expensive TV shows ever made. That demonstrates a lot of faith in the property on the network’s part, though it is still a big risk to take. Especially when many big budget video game movies have failed to connect with audiences in the past. But TV is a different animal.

The info came from a recent local news report from Alberta, Canada, where the show is currently filming. It focused largely on how the town of Fort Macleod has become a destination for Hollywood productions, and how the town has been transformed by the production crew for the purposes of recreating the post-apocalyptic land of The Last of Us. But it was Damian Petti, president of the IATSE 212 labor union in Canada, who revealed just how much money is being spent on the show. Petti had this to say about it.
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“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.”

While no precise figure has been sighted, the report notes that it is rumored to be in the “be in the hundreds of millions.” That would put it up there with the likes of Game of Thrones and The Mandalorian as one of the most expensive TV shows ever produced. Interestingly enough, Pedro Pascal, who is playing Joel in The Last of Us, is involved in both of those shows as well. Apparently, he’s a good luck charm for big-budget television. Also in production currently is Amazon’s Lord of the Rings TV show, which is expected to be the single most expensive show ever made, costing roughly $1 billion when all is said and done.

The Last of Us was originally released by Naughty Dog in 2013. It has since become revered as one of the greatest games of the last decade, if not of all time. The Last of Us 2 was released in May of last year. The games take place in a wasteland that has been ravaged by a pandemic, with the world becoming a brutal, violent place to survive. Bella Ramsey is set to play Ellie, the other main character from the games.

Originally, Sony had been developing the game as a movie for some time, though that never quite got off the ground. But last year, it was announced that Craig Mazin, coming hot off of Chernobyl, was developing the show for HBO alongside the game’s writer and director, Neil Druckmann.The Last of Us does not yet have a release date set. This comes to us via CTV News.

Topics: The Last of Us, HBO Max