HBO's The Last Of Us is one of the most expensive TV shows ever made

While not quite reaching Amazon’s Lord Of The Rings budget, HBO’s The Last Of Us TV adaptation is already at eight-figures per episode. The news arrives from a local news story in America which ran a story on the effect the show is having on the local economy.

According to the report by Alberta's CTV News, the show is already costing above $10million per episode. The budget is already supposedly in the realm of hundreds of millions, according to IATSE 212 president Damian 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,” commented Petti.

The Last Of Us budget places it on track to become one of the most expensive TV shows on record. It may eclipse show the likes Game Of Thrones, The Pacific and even The Mandalorian. One show it likely won’t beat is Amazon’s upcoming The Lord Of The Rings series. Rumours estimate that it will cost around $465million. 

“A monster”

The first season of The Last Of Us will feature 10 episodes, of which the photography commenced last week. Petti labelled the show a “monster” because of the amount of staff working on it. 

There are five art directors and hundreds of technicians working on the show, along with hundreds and hundreds of other staff members. The show has already had six months of preparation ahead of what will be a 12-month shoot in Alberta. 

The scale of the production is such that the show has already had a positive effect on the local economy. So far, the show has created jobs and opportunities, and will continue to do so throughout shooting.

Casting

Casting news is still slowly dripping out, but The Last Of Us has confirmed its two primary cast members in Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey who will play Joel and Ellie respectively. The two have shared the screen before, although not directly, in HBO’s other major series Game Of Thrones. 

The voice actor for Marlene Merle Dandridge, who was the leader of the Fireflies in the game, has officially joined the show as well, Dandridge will reprise her role as the leader of the gang, although there are no details on how important she will be to the main plot.

Read More: Netflix is rapidly losing subscribers after huge pandemic growth