The Irish producer of a new fantasy series that is due to begin filming in Co Limerick has told RTÉ's News at One that the show can drive more production opportunities for the midwest and west in the years ahead.
The Wayfinders will be based out of Troy Studios in Castletroy, Co Limerick. It will have a crew of 140 and will employ 250 extras.
Speaking to RTÉ's News at One, Stephen Hall of Limerick's Dark Day Pictures said that as someone who grew up in Shannon and now lives in Limerick, Hollywood is now "kind of within reach" on his own doorstep.
A pilot episode of The Wayfinders, a co-production with Arrowstorm Entertainment in the US, was filmed in the region in October 2023 - and now a full series has received the green light. The cast includes Pirates of the Caribbean star Mackenzie Crook alongside Tamara Smart (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Resident Evil), Evan Fields (Hacks, Players), and Vincent Mattis (Teen Wolf: The Movie, The Dirt).
"Wayfinders is about a group of American teenagers on a field trip that wander off and find a magical portal to a Dungeons & Dragons kind of world - and they get stuck there! Unfortunately, they do encounter dragons and they do get stuck in some dungeons!" said Hall.
"So the whole journey is them trying to make their way back home, and they encounter magical creatures and all kinds of exciting things."
"We're shooting [at] Shannon Heritage sites," he continued. "We're shooting in Co Tipperary, Co Clare, Co Limerick, of course - utilising castles and ancient sites and, really, all the beautiful things we have here in Ireland but especially in the midwest."
Among the locations for The Wayfinders is The Rock of Cashel in Co Tipperary.
"We have an epic battle that takes place there with explosions and raining fireballs," Hall enthused. "And Cahir Castle as well. We made our way out to Knappogue Castle in Co Clare. We have a beautiful travel montage where we take in loads of little 'postcard moments' in the west."
Looking to the future for film production in the region, he said: "I think this is really key because over the years we've had some really big shows here like Nightflyers and Foundation. The film activity in Ireland has really picked up, so now I think is the right time to plant some seeds and grow the west - and that's what we hope to do here."
"The main activity of filming in Ireland is kind of more in the Dublin-Wicklow area," Hall explained. "So when there's an opportunity to shoot outside of those areas, there's certain challenges with not having as much crew as we would like to have.
"That's what we're trying to change. As I was saying, plant the seeds. We want to grow the crewbase in the west areas and the midwest so that we can tackle big projects like this and be able to have a lot more homegrown talent."
On the prospect of a second season for The Wayfinders, Hall replied: "Well, that's the hope! Hopefully, we'll cruise beyond a second season even. We'll worry about the first season for now, seeing as we're just about to start shooting!"
