Well, now filming has moved to other parts of Alberta, Canada, including the city of Calgary and the smaller mountain town of Canmore, where other locations from the game are being brought to life. As you’d expect, fans have quickly popped up in these locations to snap pictures of the new sets being built there. As set photos reveal, Calgary is the site of the Boston QZ set — both the interior and exterior of the settlement. This is where Joel, Ellie, and Tess’ stories begin in the game, with the Boston QZ serving as one of the final strongholds for the pre-outbreak American government. Controlled by the Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA), the Boston QZ is by all intents and purposes a walled military dictatorship in the remnants of the city heavily guarded by soldiers. In order to keep the zone free of infection, citizens of the Boston QZ are prohibited from leaving the settlement, and are even gunned down if found outside the walls. When a terrorist group known as The Fireflies further threatens the stability of the zone, a guerilla war breaks out between the two factions, and Joel, Ellie, and Tess are caught in the middle. “Welcome” reads the Boston QZ’s outer wall, which is surrounded by abandoned vehicles wrapped in vines and rubble left from the devastation of the outbreak. You can also see how the set design crew has recreated the guard towers featured in the game… Meanwhile, the FEDRA signs inside the settlement warn “Use of Force Authorized” if citizens wander into restricted military zones, something the game’s trio learns firsthand as they make their way past the QZ’s borders. Past set photos have already shown Joel and Tess leading Ellie into the Massachusetts State House, where they’re supposed to meet the Fireflies who hired them to smuggle out the child. The Boston QZ isn’t the only location we’ll see in the series’ first season, though. The characters will also make their way to Jackson, Wyoming, the settlement run by Joel’s brother, Tommy, who will be played by Gabriel Luna (Agents of SHIELD) on the show. Tommy is a former Firefly member who fought back the FEDRA in the Denver QZ before moving on to Wyoming to find a more peaceful life. We haven’t seen Luna in costume yet, but we know from the games that finding Tommy is one of Joel’s main motivations for continuing his journey westward with Ellie. Below, the town of Canmore in Alberta is being prepared to be transformed into the Jackson safe zone, which was explored in a bit more detail in The Last of Us Part II. The transformation hasn’t happened yet, but you can already see the resemblance between downtown Canmore and the Jackson imagined for the games. According to the town’s official website, filming will take place at “800 block of Main Street (Nov. 16 – 19), 800 block of 14 St (Nov. 19), the Miner’s Hall parking lot (Nov. 16), and the Engine Bridge (Nov. 15).”
