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.”
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.
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.
