THE LAST OF US Episode 3’s Idyllic New England Town Built From Scratch in High River, Alberta
The Last of Us built Bill and Frank’s idyllic, fortified New England town for episode three in an abandoned area of High River, Alberta, which had been levelled except for a few streets and sidewalks after a flood in 2013.
It took about three months for production to create its New England-style slice of Americana with white picket fences, clapboard houses, stores and a church on about two acres of land in the former Beachwood estates.
Everything within the gates was built from scratch, from the shells of the houses and their driveways to the life-size Civil War monument at the center of town. — production designer John Paino to New York Magazine’s Vulture.
Shells of the houses built but without roofs — those were digitally added.
Screencaps:
Electrified fences and security cameras surrounding Lincoln:
Bill played by Nick Offerman.
Frank played by Murray Bartlett.
The couple with smuggler friends Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Tess (Anna Torv).
The greens had to be trucked in from Vancouver.
None other than horror-mister Stephen King took issue with Joel and Ellie’s hike from Boston to “Lincoln”, with Massachusetts played by the Alberta foothills dotted with fir trees.
THE LAST OF US. Episode 3: Do you really want to tell me that’s 10 miles west of Boston?
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) January 31, 2023
What’s the Last of Us about?
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 14-year-old 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.
Showrunners: Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (who created the Video Game).
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey.
Episode 3 guest stars: Bill Offerman, Murray Bartlett, Anna Torv.
Next:
The Last of Us airs Sunday nights on HBO, HBO Max and Crave (in Canada).
