Game of Thrones abroad: Russia models series on GoT, Canadian crew visits filming sites, and more
By Dan Selcke
We’ve written before about how Game of Thrones has influenced several TV shows on this side of the Atlantic, even if the people behind those shows would rather those comparisons not be drawn. Others are more open. Case in point: Alexei Petrukhin, the head of the Russian Film Group (RFG), admitted to Russian news agency Rossiya Segodnya that he’ll be modeling Era of Prosperity, an upcoming series about the rise of Russia’s Romanov dynasty, after HBO’s mega hit.
"Era of Prosperity could be called an analogue to Game of Thrones. We have studied the business model of the series and have spoken with the creators of Game of Thrones. As in the US series, we will have several directors, several cameramen, each of whom will lead their story, keep track of ‘their’ family, ‘their’ characters."
In terms of scope, Game of Thrones may be one of the most ambitious series in history, and considering its success, it’s no surprise that other people in the entertainment industry are looking to it for cues. The Era of Prosperity producers are already planning for 12 seasons of 12 episodes each. That’s a commitment to Game of Thrones-style bigness that could result in a huge success or sink the company.
Eurasianet.org also reports that Kazakhstan is making a “Game of Thrones-style TV series” about the founding of the first Kazakh khanate (a political entity ruled over by a Khan) in 1465, following the fall of the Mongolian-ruled Golden Horde empire. Called Kazakh Khanate, the series will debut in March.
Producer Arman Asenov said that, like Game of Thrones, the show will tell a “parallel tale of the history of many people,” although there will obviously be no dragons and ice zombies and such. I’m glad that Game of Thrones is inspiring production companies to swing for the fences, but I wonder if the fantasy elements aren’t key to the show’s success. Even if Era of Prosperity and Kazakh Khanate don’t succeed on the level of GoT, it never hurts to have more epic depictions of history out there.
Meanwhile, The Economic Times reports that Game of Thrones Season 6 will be airing in India “right after its US telecast in April.” The show will be broadcast on English channel Star World Premiere, while sister channels Star World and Star World HD will air the first five seasons starting on February 15. Game of Thrones has a large following in India, to the point where Sony Entertainment TV was once contemplating an Indian remake. Thanks to Star World Premiere, the world can now react as one when crazy stuff starts to go down on Season 6.
Finally, Tourism Ireland is welcoming a Canadian film crew to various Game of Thrones shooting locations around Northern Ireland so they can be featured on InnerSPACE, a Canadian news show that covers film, TV, video games, and technology related to the sci-fi genre. The episode, which will be aired in April, will feature places like Audley’s Castle (Robb Stark’s camp) and Ballintoy Harbour (Pyke). Tourism Ireland, which has proven it knows its way around a canny ad campaign, is hoping that the show will inspire more Canadians to visit Northern Ireland on their next vacation.
“TV and film are recognised as strong influencers on travellers everywhere, with up to 35% of people being impacted in their choice of destination by what they see on screen,” said Dana Welch, Tourism Ireland’s manager in Canada. “Tourism Ireland regularly works with overseas TV and production companies to facilitate the making of travel and lifestyle programmes – to maximise the promotional opportunities of popular films and TV programmes filmed on location here and get positive exposure for Northern Ireland around the world.”
With Game of Thrones or shows inspired by Game of Thrones popping up all over the world, it’s probably easier than ever to coax visitors into seeing where the series is filmed.