Will there be “Clickers” aka Fungus Zombies in this downtown Nanaimo plaza?
Season 2 of HBO’s smash hit The Last of Us, about the aftermath of a fungal pandemic, shows up next week in downtown Nanaimo. There are no set decorations yet so it’s hard to tell which post-apocalyptic place Nanaimo will play — Jackson, Wyoming? Seattle, Washington?
From April 22nd to about May 31st, you’ll find The Last of Us cast and crew working along Commercial Street, Wharf Street and Skinner Street around the Diana Krall Plaza.
And maybe spot some of the Infected..
Phase One of the six-week shoot begins on Wharf Street.
And in the Diana Krall Plaza (named in honour of the BC-born jazz legend).
Phase 2 happens on Skinner Street.
And phase 3 encompasses two blocks of Commercial Street from the Island Highway to Bastion Street.
Here’s a public notice outside the Nanaimo Public Library which will remain open (Production is building a walkway off Commercial Street to keep patrons separate from the action on set).
Downtown Nanaimo Phases Map. Click for more information.
What is The Last of Us?
The Last of Us takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed by a fungal pandemic. Joel (Pedro Pascal), a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle teen Ellie (Bella Ramsey) out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse across the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
Season one left us with Joel and Ellie headed back to Jackson, Wyoming, a walled community of survivors from the fungal pandemic led by Joel’s brother Tommy Miller (Gabriel Luna).
Season 2 production built a massive Jackson set at Britannia Beach on the Sea to Sky Highway.
Related: The Last of Us Season 2’s New Jackson Under Construction in British Columbia?
The logs piled up on the site now form a barricade at the Jackson set like the CGI-ed wall in season one.
Co-creator Craig Mazin and lead Bella Ramsey arrived in Vancouver in January for pre-production, along with new cast members Isabela Merced (who plays Ellie’s new Jackson friend Dina) and Young Mazino (who plays Jackson scout Jesse).
Ellie’s Jackson crew (That’s co-creator Craig Mazin on the left).
Gabriel Miller did some trail riding prep with local legend Danny Virtue of the Virtue Studio Ranch.
Pedro Pascal followed in February.
Then Abby’s Seattle militia crew:
Kaitlyn Dever as Abby Anderson; Danny Ramirez as Manny, a loyal soldier; Ariela Barer as Mel., a young doctor; Tati Gabrielle as Nora, a military medic; and Spencer Lord as Owen.
The Last of Us has been spotted around B.C. — from Squamish to Kamloops to North Vancouver to Langley to Mission to Whistler — and in Alberta.
Related: Young Mazino in Alberta for The Last of Us Season 2.
The Last of Us Season 2:
Episodes:
Working title: MEGA SWORD
B.C. filming dates: February 12 2024 – August 21 2024.
Co-Creators/Writers: Craig Mazin, Neil Druckmann.
Directors: Craig Mazin, Mark Mylod, Kate Herron, Peter Hoar, Nina Lopez-Corrado, Stephen Williams
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Kaitlyn Dever, Young Mazino, Isabela Merced., Catherine O’Hara, Gabriel Luna, Rutina Wesley, Danny Ramirez, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, Spencer Lord.
Sound stages: Bridge Studios.
Season 2 of The Last of Us is expected to premiere on HBO in 2025.
Update: Not sure when filming in Nanaimo will start. Could be several days of prepping the Phase One set before cameras roll.