Netflix to begin filming at Belfast Harbour Studios

A huge boost to the creative industry sector, Netflix will utilise the full 125,000 sq ft of studio, workshop and office space in Belfast Harbour Studios for what will be its first film where the bulk of the production will be shot in Northern Ireland.

The production will adhere to the strictest Covid guidelines and follow the British Film Commission safe working protocols.

Directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor, Ghostbusters, Spy) and produced by Joe Roth, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Paul Feig, Jane Startz and Laura Fischer, The School For Good and Evil is based on a best-selling series of young adult fantasy novels by Soman Chainani and follows a group of girls and boys who are taken to an institution and trained to become fairy tale-like heroes and villains.

David Dobbin, chairman of Belfast Harbour, said: “Today’s landmark announcement is a great boost for the growing creative industry sector in Northern Ireland and we are delighted to welcome Netflix to Belfast Harbour Studios for the first time.

“As part of Belfast Harbour’s strategy to develop a key economic hub for the region, our £20m investment in state-of-the-art facilities at Belfast Harbour Studios continues to attract high quality global productions such as this.

“We have recently secured planning approval for a major extension to our studios and this news reinforces our confidence that high quality studio space will continue to be in demand due to the ever-increasing requirement to provide viewers with fresh new content.”

Richard Williams, CEO of Northern Ireland Screen, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Paul Feig to Northern Ireland to film The School for Good and Evil. Paul’s illustrious career speaks for itself, he has been the creative driving force behind many critically acclaimed film and TV projects over the past two decades.

“Netflix is the world’s largest subscription streaming service with millions of subscribers worldwide and an outstanding track record for offering very high quality, original programming, for another global player like this to choose Belfast as its base is a great start to the new year, and a real vote of confidence in Northern Ireland’s screen industry and further cements our reputation as a leading centre for film and television production.”

The film’s director Paul said: “I am absolutely thrilled to get to shoot The School for Good and Evil at Belfast Harbour.

“This is a challenging film to mount and their facilities offer us everything we need and so much more for a production of this size.

“They have also been wonderful to work with and we can’t thank them and Northern Ireland Screen enough for all their support and enthusiasm. They’ve been all good and no evil!”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you