If you are a Game of Thrones fan this is something that will affect you greatly. As millions of fans await the finale of Season 6 this week, one of HBO's most popular series might be under threat if people of Britain choose to leave the European Union.
A referendum, presently underway, will decide Britain's fate - whether to 'remain' or 'leave' the European union. The process is dubbed BREXIT.
Why Game of Thrones stands to lose out if Britain chooses to opt out of the EU?
Game of Thrones is a show that is extremely expensive to produce. A lot of money is being invested in the series, into the making of those scenes that look so amazing and out-of-the-world.
But ever wondered where this money is coming from?
Well, all the money that is going into the series, to make it look as big and as attractive as possible, is coming from the EU’s European Regional Development Fund which was designed to trigger economic growth and provide jobs, reported Independent. And if the UK leaves, filmmakers probably won't have the right to draw money from that fund.
Another big trouble for the hugely popular show is that Northern Ireland, which is the main production base for the show, will exit the EU along with the rest of the UK if the vote is yes.
This means HBO will be robbed of a location where most of the series has been shot. This may probably affect shoots and cause continuity issues in EU countries where the series has been filmed. Like, for instance Spain, Croatia and Malta; also Iceland, which is not a EU member country. The huge subsidies that the channel receives from the EU could probably be stopped if UK chooses to leave. And if that happens, the budget with which the makers are creating monstrous episodes like last week's 'Battle of the Bastards', will go for a toss.
Peter Chase, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States’ Brussels office, was asked by ForeignPolicy.com if the UK departing the EU would endanger financing for shows like Game of Thrones and others. His reply was: “Absolutely."
“It might be up in the air for US studios who want to film in the UK," Chase told Foreign Policy. “There are EU programs to help fund all of this. If the UK is no longer part of the EU, that has the potential to go away."
Now this also means that paying the lead actors the huge sum that they have recently been promised - more than $500,000 for each Season 7 episode - would become extremely difficult, reported Inquisitr.
In its report Foreign Policy stated that several actors and actresses, filmmakers, artists and 278 other signatories from the various British communities including film, music, theatre, literature, dance, design and arts, wrote : “Britain is not just stronger in Europe, it is more imaginative and more creative, and our global creative success would be severely weakened by walking away."
As we all eagerly await the referendum's results, we keep our fingers crossed.
Comments
0 comment