Announced back in November, HBO is adapting the critically acclaimed video-game franchise The Last of Us as a television series with Game of Thrones alumni Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey portraying Joel and Ellie respectively. Gabriel Luna will also be joining the cast as Tommy with a script by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann, the co-President of Naughty Dog who also wrote and directed the original game. Apart from the recently released set photos, HBO has been keeping the series under the wraps for now. However, a recent report has been released stating that the budget for the series is truly massive, well exceeding the eight-figure budget for each episode.
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When it comes to massive budgets for television shows, HBO takes the cake for its humongous budget for Game of Thrones with the eighth season having a budget of nearly $15 million for each episode. While The Last of Us might not exceed Game of Throne‘s budget, a recent report by ComicBook.com has revealed that HBO is not pulling any punches with the series.
“The Last of Us, which commences photography this week, is indeed a monster. It has five art directors and employs an army of hundreds of technicians. It has had six months of prep and shoots (in Alberta) for 12 months.”
“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.”
The post-apocalyptic story revolves around a hardened survivor (Joel) who rescues a 14-year old girl named Ellie as they try to survive in a world infested with cannibalistic mutants and other remaining hostile survivors. The series is currently being filmed in Canada. According to IATSE 212 President Damian Petti, the latest video game adaptation is likely to be the highest budgeted show filmed in the country so far.
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With so many video games being adapted for the silver screen, HBO’s approach towards the video game adaptation with decorated screenwriter Craig Mazin, Hollywood’s heart-throb Pedro Pascal in the lead, and a massive budget surely seems to be a recipe for something truly spectacular.
