Press release confirms Northern Ireland

A press release from the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland has confirmed that Game of Thrones will be filming there in the third quarter of 2009. In addition they mention that a massive set will be constructed in Paint Hall, the largest film studio in the region. Below is an excerpt from the press release.

First Minister Peter D Robinson MP MLA and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MP MLA, have confirmed that HBO, the USA’s leading pay cable network, will film a TV pilot in Northern Ireland this year.

‘A Game of Thrones’, is scheduled to arrive in the third quarter of 2009 and is set to be an epic project. It is expected that the production will utilise various locations, as well as build a massive set in the Paint Hall.

Mr Robinson said: “This is the first time that a TV production of such vast size and scale has been filmed in Northern Ireland. The announcement comes following the visit by the deputy first Minister and I to Los Angeles in March. It will be a welcome boost to the production sector, helping develop the industry here and bringing employment and investment to Northern Ireland.

UPDATE: Here is an article from the Belfast Telegraph that gives a little more info. The interesting tidbits are that the production is expected to last 10 weeks and could be worth £10 million to the local economy. Ran, over at the Westeros forums, has speculated that the 10 million pound figure would equate to an actual pilot budget of around $8-10 million.

• Published on 04/21/2009 at 3:04 PM CDT
• Last updated on 04/21/2009 at 3:04 PM CDT