The Last Of Us Episode 9

The Last of Us was filmed throughout Alberta from July 2021 to June 2022. It is the first HBO series based on a video game, and is a joint production by Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Naughty Dog, the Mighty Mint, and Word Games. Druckmann, who wrote and co-directed the original game, assisted Mazin with scriptwriting for the nine episodes of the first season. The score was composed by Gustavo Santaolalla, who composed for the game, and David Fleming.

The Last of Us Episode 9

The Last of Us is believed to be the largest television production in Canadian history, expected to generate over CA$200 million in revenue for Alberta.[91][92][93] Sources suggested the budget was between US$10 million and US$15 million per episode;[93][94] The New Yorker claimed the series budget exceeded each of the first five seasons of Game of Thrones.[6] Calgary film officials felt Alberta was chosen for production partly due to the government's 2021 decision to remove its tax credit cap of CA$10 million per project. Canadian artists union IATSE 212 claimed the production led to a 30 percent increase in union membership and employment.[95] The first season covers the events of the first game and its downloadable expansion The Last of Us: Left Behind (2014);[96] Druckmann and Mazin suggested a second season would immediately cover the sequel, The Last of Us Part II (2020), to avoid filler;[97] Part II is expected to span the course of multiple seasons.[98] He does not want the series to overtake the games.[99] The writers ensured characters remained true to their developments in Part II in case the show received more seasons.[100] On January 27, 2023, less than two weeks after the series premiere, HBO renewed the series for a second season.[101] A writers' room for the second season was established in Los Angeles by February.[102]

A post-apocalyptic drama and thriller,[114][115][116] the series was written by Mazin and Druckmann;[62] Mazin wrote all episodes except the premiere and finale, which he co-wrote with Druckmann, and the seventh episode, written by Druckmann.[117] Druckmann was convinced Mazin was the ideal creative partner for the series after witnessing his passion for the game's story;[97] Druckmann referred to Mazin as the story's "co-parent".[118] Mazin said the series may represent a paradigm shift for film and television adaptations of video games due to the strength of the narrative, noting "it would only take [HBO executives] 20 minutes on Google to realize The Last of Us is the Lawrence of Arabia of video game narratives".[119]

In January 2022, Northland Village Mall in northwest Calgary was decorated for production.[158] Filming took place in Okotoks and Waterton Lakes National Park in February,[159][160] and Airport Trail in northeast Calgary saw closures for three days in March.[161][162] Webb's episodes entered production in March 2022[163] and continued until the end of principal photography in June.[164] Calgary was used to replicate Kansas City, Missouri in March.[165][166] Production continued in Calgary in April and May, including around the Calgary Courts Centre, Kensington, and Victoria Park.[167][168][169][170] Reshoots for Texas scenes took place in Olds in late May and early June,[171] and High River in June.[172] Production concluded in the early hours of June 11,[173][164] two days later than originally scheduled;[82][148] Additional photography took place in Kansas City on October 4.[174]

Production designer John Paino referenced the video game but focused on references used by Naughty Dog during development. He created an image collage which included a photograph of reassembled chairs, which Mazin considered the show's mandate: "the built world is unbuilt and rebuilt".[194] Paino found several Canadian towns had similarities to American architecture, particularly Texas.[194] He was unable to locate empty and abandoned buildings or location imitating Boston's brick-lined streets for the first two episodes, requiring manual transformation and constructions.[194] Paino and his team constructed the Boston quarantine zone near Stampede Park over several months for the first episode,[92][137][194] the town of Lincoln in around six to twelve weeks for the third,[195] and the Kansas City cul-de-sac in nine weeks for the fifth.[196]

While the series was originally indicated to begin airing in 2022,[225][226] HBO and HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys denied this in February 2022 and clarified it would begin in 2023,[227][228] which was confirmed in the first teaser trailer.[30] Following leaks from Sky and HBO Max,[229] on November 2, 2022, HBO announced the series would premiere in the United States on January 15, 2023, and released the first official poster.[89] The first season was broadcast on HBO in the United States, and is available to stream in 4K resolution on HBO Max;[2] it was released on Binge in Australia,[230] Crave in Canada,[33] HBO Go and Now TV in Hong Kong,[231] Disney+ Hotstar in India,[232] U-NEXT in Japan,[233] Neon in New Zealand,[234] HBO Go in Southeast Asia and Taiwan,[235] and Sky Group channels and Now in Germany and Austria,[236] Italy,[237] Switzerland,[236] and the United Kingdom and Ireland.[236][238] The first episode received its red carpet world premiere in Westwood, Los Angeles on January 9,[239] followed by theater screenings in Budapest and Sydney on January 11,[240][241] and New York City on January 12.[242] Behind-the-scenes videos, titled Inside the Episode, were released on HBO Max and YouTube following each episode's airing.[243][244]

A short clip of Joel and Ellie hiding from a Clicker was released on November 16 to tease the show's appearance at CCXP the following month.[245] Posters for eleven characters were released on November 30.[246] Dandridge, Druckmann, Luna, Mazin, Pascal, and Ramsey appeared on a panel at CCXP on December 3,[247] where the first full trailer was released, revealing the first appearances of Baker, Ashley Johnson, and Shepherd.[113][248] Baker, Ashley Johnson, Pascal, and Ramsey presented at The Game Awards 2022 on December 8.[217] HBO announced Baker would host a companion podcast alongside the series, featuring Mazin and Druckmann.[249] In January 2023, Pascal and Ramsey were featured on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter,[97] while Pascal was on the cover of Wired.[250] HBO released the first behind-the-scenes featurette on January 6,[251] and several press outlets published interviews with cast and crew based on roundtable discussions from the previous month.[252][96][128] Ramsey appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! alongside a clip from the series on January 9,[253][254] and on The Late Late Show with James Corden on January 10.[255] A season trailer was released after the airing of the first episode on January 15,[256] and a two-hour trial of The Last of Us Part I was made available for PlayStation Plus Premium members.[257]

Google released an Easter egg in late January, adding mushrooms to the screen when searching for The Last of Us or Cordyceps.[258] On January 27, the first episode was released for free on HBO Max in the United States, and on Sky's YouTube channel in the United Kingdom.[259][260] To promote the third episode, Bartlett appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on January 30,[261] and Offerman on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on February 1.[262] Pascal appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on February 2,[263] and hosted Saturday Night Live on February 4;[264] a viral skit from the latter featured Pascal portraying Mario in a "prestige drama" based on the Mario Kart series inspired by HBO's The Last of Us.[265][266] Pascal appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers on February 15,[267] The Graham Norton Show on February 24,[268] and Hot Ones on March 9;[269] the release of The Last of Us overlapped the promotion and release of The Mandalorian's third season.[270][271] A 31-minute special chronicling the production of the series aired on HBO after the finale on March 12.[272] Ramsey appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show on March 18.[273]

Reviewers praised the differences from the original game's narrative implemented by Mazin and Druckmann,[176][281][282] and some believed the scenes lifted directly from the game were among the weakest and led to issues with pacing.[283][282][284] Variety's Daniel D'Addario felt the show relied too heavily on action sequences,[285] while TechRadar's Axel Metz wanted more action.[286] IGN's Simon Cardy wrote the series "often shines brightest" during its quietest moments.[287] Critics overwhelmingly considered the third episode the season's best,[288][289][290] and some named it among the greatest episodes of television overall.[280][291] The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg felt it elevated the series to a new level,[292] and Empire's John Nugent called it "moving, surprisingly romantic, and one of the finest hours of television in recent memory".[293] Some critics found the first episode well-made but too familiar,[294][292] and /Film's Valerie Ettenhofer considered it the season's weakest.[288] RogerEbert.com's Brian Tallerico found the final two episodes rushed.[295]

The cast's performances received widespread acclaim, with critics singling out the chemistry between Pascal and Ramsey for praise.[278][304][305] Evening Standard's Vicky Jessop said the two "steal every scene they're in",[306] while Rolling Stone's Alan Sepinwall called them "compulsively watchable and almost instantly endearing".[294] Empire's Nugent and /Film's Ettenhofer referred to Pascal's performance as the best of his career, citing his ability to portray nuance and rare vulnerability.[288][293] TechRadar's Metz described him as the "perfect real-world manifestation" of Joel.[286] Several critics found Ramsey gave the show's breakout performance for her balance of comedy and emotion,[280][281][294] with Time's Judy Berman calling her "the show's greatest asset"[289] and IGN's Cardy applauding her for "making her mark" on Ellie, a character already considered iconic long before Ramsey's portrayal.[287] Some critics considered the seventh episode Ramsey's strongest.[307][308] 041b061a72