It’s been quite a run for HBO and Titanic Studios in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where the network shot much of the footage for Game of Thrones for 10 years. But that’s all about to change, as the premium cabler has given notice that it plans to vacate its home in the Titanic Quarter, reports the Belfast Telegraph.
After Game of Thrones ended last year, HBO filmed a pilot for a prequel series set during the Age of Heroes — code named Blood Moon — at Titanic Studios, but the network passed on the series. So now, Northern Ireland’s time as Westeros looks to have come to an end.
It’s true that HBO is making a different Game of Thrones prequel show: House of the Dragon, a show set during the Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons. According to NI Screen chief executive Richard Williams, the country was never positioned to deliver what HBO needed out of that series. “All that is happening… is that they have served notice to Titanic Quarter that they would not be holding the studios,” he said. “There is no surprise here, no panic.”
Since its premiere in 2011, Game of Thrones has added roughly $279 million to the Northern Ireland economy, and made it a hub for other film productions. So wherever House of the Dragon calls home could potentially benefit from a rather large infusion of cash.
That said, it’s a little odd that HBO wouldn’t take advantage of the infrastructure they’ve already set up in Northern Ireland to make House of the Dragon. You’d figure the giant King’s Landing set they’d built there could be particularly useful, even if it was already torn down; at least they know what they’re doing.
Still, with companies like Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, Apple TV+ and HBO itself ramping on the oney spent on productions, Titanic Studios will probably be a major player for years to come. “[There] has never been a better time because of the demand for content, and they have to make it somewhere,” said former NI Screen board member Tim McKane.