According to reports, HBO’s much-anticipated series The Last of Us may have an even higher price tag than ‘Game of Thrones.’
The highly-anticipated HBO’s upcoming series The Last of Us, adapted from the popular video game series, will reportedly cost more than $10 million dollars per episode. A report from local Alberta site CTV News, states that the budget of the series is rumored to be in hundreds of millions – which makes The Last of Us series one of the most expensive television shows ever made, among other HBO shows like Game of Thrones and The Pacific.
According to IATSE 212, the series director Damien Petti:
“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.“
Petti’s statement also confirms previous reports that the series will be in production for approximately a year, saying The Last of Us series “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.“
The Last of Us is created by Neil Druckman and Craig Mazin (HBO’s Chernobyl). The pilot of the series will be directed by Kantemir Balagov (Beanpole). Jasmila Žbanić (Quo Vadis, Aida?) and Ali Abbasi (Border) are also going to direct some of the episodes of the series.
The first season of the series will have 10 episodes, its claimed budget could surpass the final season of Game of Thrones, which had six episodes and a budget of a total of $90 million per episode. The Last of Us lead characters played by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey have also appeared in Game of Thrones as Oberyn Martell and Lyanna Mormont.
The Last of Us is expected to be released in the second half of 2022. Here’s the official synopsis for the show:
The story takes place twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel (portrayed by Pascal) – a hardened survivor – is hired to smuggle Ellie (portrayed by Ramsey) – a 14-year-old girl – out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse across the US and depend on each other for survival.