Downtown Nanaimo was transformed into a post-apocalyptic wasteland in the spring of 2024, as the popular HBO series 'The Last of Us' picked the Harbour City for scenes in their upcoming second season. (Leon Drzewiechki/HBO)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

HBO Nanaimo

Top stories of 2024: ‘The Last of Us’ takes over downtown Nanaimo

Dec 24, 2024 | 1:43 PM

NANAIMO — Downtown was transformed into a post-apocalyptic wasteland, as the popular HBO show ‘The Last of Us‘ this year.

Announced in early spring, six weeks worth of filming of their second season took place in the Harbour City.

Street and pedestrian closures were announced along Skinner, Bastion, and Commercial Streets, as crews added an extra layer of grime, shrubbery, and aging vehicles to city streets.

At least two downtown businesses had scenes filmed inside, with the owner of Quintessential on Commercial St. Carla Samson telling NanaimoNewsNOW film crews kept disruptions to a minimum and compensated affected businesses while setting up.

“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…. I think it’s going to have a positive impact in the downtown especially.”

season's greetings

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us at NanaimoNewsNOW

7h ago

big birthday

City of Nanaimo celebrates 150 years of incorporation

22h ago

HBO Nanaimo

Top stories of 2024: 'The Last of Us' takes over downtown Nanaimo

Dec 24, 2024

On April 29, crews begin offloading equipment along Wharf St. and are preparing to fence off most of Diana Krall Plaza ahead of filming next month. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

The excitement began to build in Nanaimo as the set started to take shape, while locals kept an eye out for glimpses of the central characters Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey).

Owner of NYLA Fresh Threads Leon Drzewiecki said film crews did a good job keeping people out of the closed-off areas, and he said despite the added attention, foot traffic to their store was actually down overall during filming.

“We definitely had a lot of the production crew coming through the store and shopping a little bit there. Our sales did suffer for sure having everything shut down around downtown, but at the same time it’s a short-term problem and long term I think it’ll be really great for Nanaimo.”

His impressive rooftop pictures went viral, racking up “millions of views” in a span of only a few days, according to Drzewiecki.

The final phase of production saw Commercial St. and many area businesses closed beginning May 10, between Terminal Ave. and Bastion St., ahead of two days of filming starting on May 13.

Both vehicle and pedestrian traffic was limited in the area ahead during the production, with actual filming time taking place over a few days in May.

Nature reclaimed Skinner St., including ivy and long grass which was staged along the roadway. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Leon Drzewiecki of NYLA Fresh Threads was able to take amazing photos of Commercial St. facing south during filming from the roof of his business on May 12. He said it was “really neat, because you could kind of see it from day to day, hour to hour, week to week.” (Leon Drzewiecki)

Once filming was complete it only took a few days for the set to be torn down and downtown Nanaimo was returned to its former glory, with ‘The Last of Us’ contributing to over $3.2 million in economic benefit to the area in 2024.

The Vancouver Island North Film Commission said they are currently in talks with mid-Island tourism groups to help encourage further filming opportunities in the area, with four more yet-to-be-named productions already green-lit for next year.

Skinner St. off Bastion St. was the focal point for filming on Monday, May 13, with set decorations transforming the area. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)(File Photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Subscribe to our daily news wrap. Local news delivered to your email inbox every evening. Stay up to date on everything Nanaimo and Oceanside.

jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

Follow us on: Twitter (X) | Bluesky | Facebook