HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ Takes Over Victoria Park in Calgary – Calgary | The Canadian News

With several road closures in effect this weekend, getting around Calgary could cause some headaches.

However, it can almost lead to a glimpse of a multi-million dollar film production.

First Street SW in Victoria Park is the latest location in Alberta to transform into a post-apocalyptic setting as filming continues on the HBO adaptation of the popular video game. The last of us.

Business owners in the area should remain quiet about the excitement surrounding the project, but the executive director of the Victoria Park business improvement area says people are handling temporary inconveniences well.

“I think that in general, people are being well served and they see it as a very positive thing,” says David Low. “This doesn’t happen everywhere.”

This is the second time in as many weeks that filming for the long-awaited series has closed off a heavily trafficked area in downtown Calgary.

Recently, the 4 Avenue overpass was almost unrecognizable: it became a vacant lot, with damaged vehicles and broken concrete.

In early October, it was being filmed at the Alberta Legislature in Edmonton.

Keep Alberta Rolling head of promotion Brock Skretting says the production is a testament to the quality of the province’s workforce and the seemingly endless variety of landscapes.

“Within a jurisdiction, we have mountains, deserts, wastelands, grasslands,” says Skretting. “We have small towns with a historical air. We have small towns with a more modern look ”.

Skretting says that once production is complete, there will be little, if any, question of Alberta’s place as one of the most desirable locations for the film industry.

“Among Ghostbusters and The last of us, there won’t be any studio or production company that hasn’t heard of Alberta. “

Road closures in and around 1 Street SW are expected to be in effect through next Thursday.