Maleficent director Robert Stromberg is in Co Wicklow filming the pilot episode for a new prehistoric adventure series that hopes to repeat the success of the likes of Game of Thrones and Vikings.
Dawn is being made for streaming service Hulu and MGM in the US and will film in the county for three weeks. Its cast includes Once Were Warriors star Temeura Morrison and Irish actress Olwen Fouéré, who was last seen in the post-apocalyptic Northern-Irish movie The Survivalist.
Olwen Fouéré - Working on Dawn
The story, from Without a Trace creator Hank Steinberg and Black Hawk Down screenwriter Ken Nolan, follows a tribe of Neanderthals whose way of life is threatened after they encounter Homo Sapiens.
Director Stromberg is a two-time Oscar winner for his work as a production designer on Alice in Wonderland and Avatar.
Several thousand people turned up for open auditions in Dublin's Temple Bar last month after a call went out for extras who "fit the Neanderthal, Viking, African or Mediterranean" look.
TEN caught up with some of the bushy-haired hopefuls as they made a bid for stardom.
So how many Neanderthals turned up @filmbase for today's open casting session? Too many pretty people if you ask ushttps://t.co/LEFHiSNkJ1
— RTÉ TEN (@RTE_TEN) April 15, 2016
Derek Quinn from MovieExtras.ie, who organised the auditions, said at the time that they were delighted with the turnout.
"There's been a massive interest in it, which is absolutely fantastic. We've got lots of brilliant looks coming in today and we know these guys will look absolutely great."
