Calgary Flames

BREAKING: HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2 to be filmed in its entirety at the Scotiabank Saddledome

Disclaimer: this article is published as an April Fool’s post and is not to be taken as accurate information.

After dropping onto the scene earlier this year, The Last of Us has been a pop culture machine. As one of this year’s most watched television shows, The Last of Us finally broke through the “video-game adaptation curse” to further enhance and improve on what was already one of media’s finest pieces of work.

What was more important, especially to Albertans, was the massive love and emphasis the show had on both the Albertan landscape and film industry. With so many iconic landmarks from Calgary, Edmonton, and the surrounding prairies, The Last of Us will always be synonymous with Alberta.

A new take for Season 2

With Season 2 announced for production, fans immediately turned to wonder “where will the show host their production?” For those that have played The Last of Us: Part II, the game is primarily set in the city of Seattle, which makes the Pacific Northwest a perfect candidate. Deadline sources reported that Vancouver could be an option, but sources close to The Win Column and the show’s production have cast doubts on that report and confirmed to us the following: 

The entirety of Season 2 of The Last of Us will be shot within the walls of the Scotiabank Saddledome.

You may be wondering, how is that even possible? Well if the lovely streets of Edmonton weren’t a perfect backdrop for a post-apocalyptic world dominated by the cordyceps infection, the Saddledome pretty much fits it to a tee.

Quotes from the crew

With its perfectly crumbling architecture, and lack of life this season, it makes for an easy transition for HBO’s filming crew. When asked about the decision, Executive Producer Craig Mazin had this to say: 

We are thrilled to be returning to the wonderful city of Calgary to continue our show’s production. This has been a labour of love, but what makes the Saddledome so perfect is that we really don’t have to spend a lot of money on set design. Everything is already there for us to use.” 

– Craig Mazin

The cast shared in equal excitement as Gabriel Luna, a known Calgary Flames enthusiast, was quick to share some love for the Saddledome:

“It’s fantastic. When I visited earlier this season, I just looked around and said “Am I on set right now?” I could literally see fungi starting to grow out of the cracks in the floor. It’s a bold creative decision, but I’m excited for what’s to come.” 

– Gabriel Luna

There is no word yet when production will begin, but it’s quite possible that it could start as early as a few weeks since the building is going to be far less occupied.

The casting process is well underway for Season 2, with Executive Producer and the game’s original creator Neil Druckmann explaining they could look in house to fill out some roles:

“There is no denying that the Flames fourth line would make the perfect Bloaters. Slow, but menacing, I mean just look at Milan Lucic. Although we would have to have Walker Duehr fill in as a Stalker because he’s simply too fast to play the role.”

– Neil Druckmann

In what will easily be one of Season 2’s most talked about sequence, the Rat King’s casting is still up in the air as Druckmann explained:

“When we were shooting last year we immediately thought Matthew Tkachuk would be the perfect fit. We were devastated to learn that he was traded away to the rat capital of the hockey world, and so we want to take our time to ensure we cast the best person for this role.” 

– Neil Druckmann

Pedro Pascal attempted to comment but every time he tried he ended up just looking to is right and smiled with his head tilted aback, and somehow there was wind blowing on him despite being indoors.

With the product on the ice being described as “dead” or “decrepid” this season, it’s an easy transition for the Flames organization to make heading into the production season. Another huge step forward for the Alberta film industry. 


HBO declined to comment on our reports, but we can guarantee it’s 100% true.

Happy April Fools Flames fans! 

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