WHEN you think of scenic North of Ireland locations like Carrickfergus Castle, Co. Antrim and Donaghadee, Co. Down, robots don’t automatically spring to mind, but that’s where the British indie movie Robot Overlords, out this March was filmed.
Co-written and directed by Belfast-born Jon Wright, the film is set in a time when robots rule the streets and people are locked in their homes.
A group of kids, led by Callan McAuliffe (The Great Gatsby), set out to join the Resistance, fighting bad guy robot collaborator, played by Ben Kingsley and his captive Gillian Anderson, who also shot BBC thriller The Fall in the North last year.
Speaking to The Irish Post from his home in Whitstable, Joe Wright, explained why Belfast and the North of Ireland is attracting movie makers.
“When I was a boy it was very different, you had soldiers on the street armed with rifles but Belfast has completely changed for the better. Because of the lack of development through the ’70s and ’80s and so on it’s very unspoilt in a lot of ways, so you can find fantastic countryside locations. Everything is within a stone’s throw and you can see the mountains from the city.”
Games of Thrones is also filmed in the North and Wright adds that the availability of experienced and highly-skilled crews is a draw.
The £12million movie will be screened in Carrickfergus Castle before being released in cinemas all over Ireland and Britain and Wright is eager to see how audiences react. “It’s an unashamedly populist movie for audiences to enjoy, I can’t wait for people to see it.”
Robot Overlords is in cinemas from March 27
