Game of Thrones not filming in Sweden after all, Norway a possibility

Photo: Helen Simonsson. License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Last week, we reported that HBO was considering filming scenes for Game of Thrones on the island of Gotland, Sweden. The network got in touch with Olivia Munck of The Line Gotland, a Swedish production company, and asked her to supply photographs of Visby, the photogenic city pictured above, and of the surrounding countryside. “At first I was quite silent for a few seconds when it just fell into place,” Munck said of when she got the call. “And then I screamed right out and almost fainted.”

Unfortunately, HBO has decided against filming there, as Munck revealed to The Local. “It’s down to us not having any kind of tax reductions for filming in Sweden,” she said.

It’s a shame that Munck’s enthusiasm wasn’t rewarded. However, this doesn’t have to be the end of her hopes. Speaking to Mia Uddgren, film commissioner at Filmregion Stockholm-Mälardalen, newspaper Hela Gotland notes that HBO decided to keep the pictures of Gotland provided by Munck, and that the network thinks the island location is “incredibly interesting.” According to Munck, there is “absolutely” a chance that Game of Thrones could film on Gotland at some point in the future.

But with just under two seasons left to film, it better happen soon.

So if the production isn’t filming in Gotland, where is it filming? Uddgren thinks it may head for neighboring Norway. “Given that Norway has a film production tax break it has a competitive advantage,” she said.

Norway happens to the homeland of Game of Thrones cast member Kristofer Hivju, aka Tormund Giantsbane. If nothing else, that means he could easily visit with family when not working.

We’ll bring you more on this story as it comes in.