'The Last of Us' shoot transforms Vancouver street

A film crew shooting 'The Last of Us' Season 2 transformed a downtown Vancouver street this week. (CTV News)

A part of downtown Vancouver looked a whole lot different than usual this week, as the crew from the hit TV show The Last of Us prepared for a shoot.

From the overgrown vegetation and the dusty cars to the military vehicles rolling on through, the area just off Main Street near the port underwent a drastic transformation.

And the shoot attracted plenty of onlookers trying to get a sneak peek of what HBO’s hit show will have in store for Season 2.

The crew’s attention to detail is impressive, swapping out street signs and bringing in extensive vegetation to emulate what a post-apocalyptic city would look like.

Some passing by said they plan to watch the show for the first time based on what they saw.

But some local businesses in the area were left unimpressed by how this particular shoot was handled.

Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association executive director Landon Hoyt told CTV News on Friday that some businesses were only given four days' notice.

“Right now, the particular shoot, while exciting, it was quite last minute,” Hoyt said. “There is compensation and things going on, but they’re having to cancel dinner reservations for guests. There’s spoiled food involved in that. There’s employee scheduling adjustments that are really difficult to manage.”

Hoyt stressed the BIA supports the film industry, but asks those filming shows and movies to give local businesses at least a 10-day heads up to minimize impacts for businesses.

Parts of Season 2 are being shot around the province, and that will include shoots in Nanaimo later this month.