Tommy Gormley, a prolific First Assistant Director and Glasgow native, has voiced his support for a purpose-built studio facility in Scotland. Television drama Outlander has been one of the largest productions to shoot in Scotland and filmed at adapted facilities near Glasgow.
The BBC’s upcoming period drama series Dickensian may have to film on location in Eastern Europe due to a lack of UK studio space. Red Planet Pictures plans to build a portion of 19th century London for the shoot, which will be set across Charles Dickens’ literary world.
The next Star Wars movie will be filmed at Pinewood Studios in London. Star Wars: The Force Awakens recently wrapped its Pinewood shoot as the first in a new trilogy and will be released in 2015. Gareth Edwards will direct the next film, a standalone movie, at Pinewood next year.
International producers on a familiarisation trip to Abu Dhabi have highlighted the need for studio facilities alongside the city’s 30% filming incentive. The city’s main production company, twofour54 intaj, offers 11 sound stages, the largest of which are around 7,000 sq ft.
Victorian crime series Ripper Street returned to shoot its third season on location in Dublin, using the Irish capital as a stand-in for London. Filming locations included Clancy Barracks, Trinity College, Dublin Castle and Kilmainham Gaol, and the new series will be launched on 14 November.
Bollywood movie Baby has doubled Abu Dhabi for the streets of Istanbul for pick-up filming. Star Akshay Kumar filmed scenes in the emirate city in September, but the production returned for additional shooting for the upcoming thriller, mostly for scenes set in a surveillance van.
Dubai will celebrate the release of Bollywood movie Happy New Year tomorrow by hosting the film’s world premiere. The movie stars Shah Rukh Khan and is one of the biggest international films to have shot in the city in a year in which Indian cinema has dominated in Dubai.
The British Film Commission has organised an inaugural UK Film and TV Week in Los Angeles. Screen agencies from across Britain are promoting the UK as a filming location to attract more productions on the scale of 24: Live Another Day and The Avengers: Age of Ultron.