Don's Barber Shop ready for its closeup as HBO's 'The Last Of Us' prepares for filming in southern Alberta
The Town of Fort Macleod is quickly becoming one of Alberta's hottest filming destinations.
Movies like 'Brokeback Mountain' and the upcoming 'Ghostbusters: Afterlife' have filmed here along with shows like FX's 'Fargo'.
One more production to add to that list is the upcoming HBO series, 'The Last Of Us'.
According to Fort Macleod's Chief Administrative Officer, Sue Keenan, the town couldn't be more excited.
"We are just so honored that we were one of the towns that were selected to be the host of such a magnificent storyline as well as all the special effects and everything that are going on with it," she told CTV News.
"So there's a lot of buzz in the town of Fort Macleod right now."
Fort Macleod, Alberta, July 13, 2021
POST-APOCALYPTIC VIDEO GAME
'The Last Of Us' is based on a post-apocalyptic video game series by the same name that was released by game developer Naughty Dog in 2014.
It won multiple awards including Best Game, Best Story and Best Animation.
The television series will star 'Game of Thrones' actors Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal.
Pascal also appears in the Netflix series 'Narcos' and the Disney Plus series 'The Mandalorian', which received a staggering 24 Emmy nominations Tuesday.
The series is a huge production employing hundreds of Albertans, says IATSE 212 President Damian Petti.
"The Last of Us which commences photography this week is indeed a monster," Petti said. "It 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."
Petti couldn't confirm the budget, rumoured to be in the hundreds of millions.
"I cannot confirm the official budget numbers but will say it is likely the largest project shooting in Canada," he said, in an email to CTV News.
That money is being spent in-province, providing Alberta small businesses with a boost coming out of the pandemic.
"This project well exceeds the eight figure per episode mark," he said, "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."
Keenan is looking forward to the start of filming and what it means for Fort Macleod and the film industry in the region.
"This town has been very embracing of the film industry," she said.
"We believe in the economic benefits and the diversification needed in Alberta and filming is definitely one of the ways to make that happen."
In preparation for filming, crews have made over Main Street.
Equipment for the Last of Us, July 13, 2021
Store fronts have been changed over to fit the shoot and some shops, like the Fort Pharmacy, have been changed to look like something else, like a furniture store.
That's causing a bit of confusion among residents.
"People come down and they say they've been looking at one of the stores that's across the street and say, well when did that one open up? And not realize that it's actually a set," said the front store manager for the pharmacy, Michelle Harris.
DON'S BARBER SHOP READY FOR ITS CLOSEUP
However, not all the stores got a make over.
Don's Barber Shop, which has been around for over 50 years, got to keep its name and appearance.
Owner and operator, Don McLean, is a big fan of the film industry coming to town and is happy for the cameo.
"Movies have always been good, I figure," said McLean.
"It gets people out and around so keep them coming! I don't see anything wrong with them at all."
Filming on 'The Last Of Us' is set to start later this month in Fort Macleod and once filming wraps, cast and crew will move to Calgary where they will be doing the majority of their production.
The show is scheduled to premiere on HBO in early 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Britney Spears settles long-running legal dispute with estranged father, finally bringing ultimate end to conservatorship
Britney Spears has reached a settlement with her estranged father more than two years after the court-ordered termination of a conservatorship that had given him control of her life, their attorneys said.
Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
It's 30 years since apartheid ended. South Africa's celebrations are set against growing discontent
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.