The Last of Us: Production Designer John Paino Details Creative Process, What Excites Him About Show's Future (Exclusive)

After decades of video game adaptations that left a lot to be desired, recent years have given new hope to the medium's ability to succeed in Hollywood. The most universally loved came in HBO's The Last of Us, a serialized adaptation of the popular post-apocalyptic video game from 2013. As noticed and applauded by fans of the franchise, HBO's iteration of The Last of Us captures the magic of the game, often bringing exact cutscenes to live-action life. 

Some of the most impressive accuracy came in the locations that The Last of Us played with. Much of that weight fell on the shoulders of The Last of Us production designer John Paino, as he was tasked with birthing dozens of post-apocalyptic sets through physical structures rather than relying solely on visual effects. Considering The Last of Us is rooted in reality, one of Paino's biggest challenges was successfully recreating familiar American cities such as Boston, Kansas City, and Boulder.

Speaking to ComicBook.com, Paino described his creative process when it came to differentiating The Last of Us's cities during the show's Canadian production process.

"Colorado is more verdant and more open. Kansas City is more industrial or pedestrian, as far as its buildings," Paino said. "We look a lot at the architecture for the cities. Parts of downtown Calgary were pretty good matches for Kansas City. South Boston, we're not going to find that [in Canada]. Edmonton worked pretty well for walking through the kind of downtown Boston. When we got out west, obviously when we're in Jackson Hole and when we're in Colorado, those places have a much bigger footprint. There are more parks in Colorado and there's more green spaces. You don't have a lot of that in Kansas City. Those things we definitely do look at when we're picking locations."

Outside of the major cities, The Last of Us spends one episode in a suburban neighborhood in Lincoln, Massachusetts. This area is home to Nick Offerman's Bill, a paranoid survivalist that sets up post-apocalyptic shop in his home and rigs his now-gated community to keep out infected.

"I wanted it to be almost like a fly caught in amber," Paino said of designing the neighborhood. "I've been in towns like that and they do sometimes come off a bit like that. We actually went out of the way to do a lot of little details. You don't know if they'll ever make it into the final cut, but all the houses had historical markers. This town is almost like a museum piece."

While Season 1 is in the rear view, HBO has already green lit The Last of Us for a sophomore installment.

"I'm not sure. I'll know soon," Paino said when asked if he'll be back for Season 2.

Regardless of the uncertainty, Paino did express intrigue in working with elements from The Last of Us Part II due to its increased scope.

"I think it's just a bigger palette," Paino continued. "It sounds like it'd be more fun because it's a bigger world."

The Last of Us Season 1 is currently streaming on HBO Max.