Production of HBO's "The Last Of Us" will take over downtown Nanaimo beginning Monday, April 29 for around five weeks. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW/HBO)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

major production

HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ begins set up in downtown Nanaimo

Apr 29, 2024 | 10:13 AM

NANAIMO — One of the biggest shows on television is set to convert small areas of the city’s downtown into a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Crews for the hit HBO show ‘The Last of Us’ began hauling in equipment and cordoning off areas in Diana Krall Plaza on Monday, April 29, ahead of a roughly five-week residency in downtown Nanaimo to accommodate filming the show’s second season.

‘The Last of Us’ is based on a 2013 video game of the same name, with season two expected to follow the game’s 2020 sequel. It tells the story of a global pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection through central characters Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey).

While the production remains tight-lipped on what exactly will be filmed, or which cast members will visit Nanaimo, work is expected to focus around the Plaza, Commercial St., Skinner St. and Wharf St. until the end of May.

Crews begin offloading equipment along Wharf St. and are preparing to fence off most of Diana Krall Plaza ahead of filming next month. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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Prep work began on April 22 with crews taking final measurements and surveys of the area, while road closures began on Monday, April 29.

Wharf St. between Commercial St. and Front St. was closed, and crews were preparing to fence off areas of Diana Krall Plaza Monday morning.

This work along with set dressing and other preparations is expected to continue through May 10, when additional closures along Commercial St. will also come into effect.

Filming itself is scheduled to begin over a roughly two-day stretch between May 12 and May 14, however, the exact hours are unknown.

Crews will spend the final two weeks of May cleaning up the area, vacating by month’s end.

Some businesses on Commercial St. will close to allow for final preparations and filming between May 10 and May 16.

Road closures are expected in the area through May 31.

Commercial St. will be transformed over the coming weeks into a set for HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’, with filming to occur over a roughly two-day period mid-May. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Carla Samson, owner of Quintessential on Commercial St. told NanaimoNewsNOW the disturbance has been minimal to date.

“They’re trying to be very respectful of all the businesses, so any of the work they have to do they’re trying to do pre-business opening. If they are closing anything down, it’s temporary and it’s just to get measurements and stuff for the actual setup of the backdrops and such.”

She said her store will be one of at least two interior locations for filming, while all impacted businesses on Commercial St. are being “fairly” reimbursed for the required downtime.

Red’s Bakery previously announced they will also be used as an interior location for filming.

Once filming wraps and the clean-up work is completed, Samson said the production has committed to making some level of improvements in the downtown.

Area businesses were surveyed about their wishes and while Samson said she couldn’t speak for others, her wish was for more lighting and “ambience” in the area.

Regardless of what’s left behind, Samson said these sort of situations, albeit inconvenient for travellers and some businesses, is nothing but a win for the area.

“Any city that gets to the opportunity to host a production like this definitely reaps the benefits of tourism and the aftermath of people coming to see where it was filmed. We’re going to have very famous people in our hometown, so I think it’s going to have a positive impact in the downtown especially.”

Signs are setup along Commercial St. promoting local business remaining open, despite road closures downtown due to preparations to film HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ in Nanaimo. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Several accommodations were made by the City for the filming, including the temporary removal of some trees and the tuning fork statue at Diana Krall Plaza.

NanaimoNewsNOW also learned seasonal cleaning and pressure washing of the area to remove winter dirt and grime was delayed at the request of the production.

‘The Last of Us’ has previously filmed in Kamloops and areas in the Lower Mainland ahead of their Island visit.

Full schedule:

• April 29 – May 9: Partial or intermittent closures of Diana Krall Plaza, Wharf St. and Skinner St. No business closures expected.
• May 10-15: Commercial St. closure between Terminal Ave. and Bastion St. to accommodate filming, some business closures are expected.
• May 16-31: Clean up and area restoration with Diana Krall Plaza, Skinner St. partially closed. No business closures are expected.

More information is available here.

A major television production is poised to take over downtown Nanaimo, with setups focused around Commercial St. and Diana Krall Plaza. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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