Wyoming is considered a safe zone in the new HBO Max series “The Last of Us.”
It’s the hottest show streaming, and previews for the next episode, which premieres Sunday, shows the main characters arriving in the Cowboy State.
After fighting off infected “clickers” and “bloaters” – don’t call them zombies, because they’re not dead; just corrupted by a brain fungus – the main characters Elle and Joel escape Boston and Kansas City.
They make their way across the country to a walled town in a dystopian-looking town in Wyoming. It is reportedly Jackson, but was filmed in Canmore, Alberta, Canada.
“The Last of Us” is a multimillion-dollar enterprise based on a hugely popular video game. Sunday is its sixth episode Sunday and, finally, the two protagonists make it to Wyoming.
Don’t Call Them Zombies
The folks at HBO are insistent the characters are not zombies, and the term is never used in the show.
The premise is that global warming has caused a mutated fungus called Cordyceps that corrupts human brains. It’s transmitted by bites and over the next few days and months, and victims become different kinds of creatures.
Big Budget, Big Expectations
The show has received rave reviews, some calling the big-budget series a successor to HBO’s huge success with “Game of Thrones.”
There will be nine episodes of the show this season at a cost of $10 million per show. A second season two is already being filmed.
It will be noteworthy to Cowboy State fans how much of the show will be centered on this Wyoming location.
No Film Incentives
During the current 2023 session, the Wyoming Legislature has again turned down proposals to provide incentives to have movies and TV shows that are set in Wyoming filmed here.
