THREE years of hard work and brave bold moves by a few people dedicated to realising the potential of creating a film industry in the Mid West hit its peak on Sunday night when the Troy Studios production of Nightflyers aired in the US for the first time.
Based on a novella by George R.R. Martin, shooting Nightflyers at the Limerick studios led to the employment of up to 350 at the studios during the 18 months of its production.
Sunday night last was described as “a big moment in the life of the studios” as the SYFY channel in North America will transmit the first episode of the sci-fi show.
A big moment in the life of the studios later tonight SYFY channel in N America will transmit 1st ep of Nightflyers. 3 years ago would have predicted #Limerick would be home to an international film studio, a testimony to those who took a leap of faith. https://t.co/8VSRhmLMxD
— Troy Studios (@troy_studios) December 2, 2018
“Three years ago who would have predicted that #Limerick would be home to an international film studio, a testimony to those who took a leap of faith to make it happen. We look forward to seeing the entire series and hope there are more to come”, the Troy Studios social media channels posted on Sunday night.
As the show airs in the US with the final episode showing on December 10, Nightflyers “transports the audience to the outer reaches of space, where a group of maverick scientists and gifted individuals travel in search of a mysterious alien race in the hopes of saving the human species — but the Nightflyer isn’t any ship, it’s haunted by someone or something tormenting its passengers at every turn,” according to reviews online.
The series will also be available on Netflix as the Limerick shot production is showcased around the world.
When the cameras stopped rolling for Nightflyers at Troy Studios, the team behind the facility announced major expansion plans in a bid to further attract production teams in to the region.
As Ossie Kilkenny detailed the plans to add another sound stage and increase the footprint of the Limerick studio, he said that Troy Studios “was very high on the radar where movies are made in Los Angeles and it is part of every conversation in the industry.”
The expansion will add 33,000 sp ft to the Castletroy unit, create 150 jobs during its construction which will be completed next year and lever Troy Studios closer to realising its ambition to “have 800 people working here and we will contribute €100 million to the local economy”, Mr Kilkenny said recently.
