Mid-West producers bring Pirate of the Caribbean to Troy Studios

A TV drama featuring a former pirate of the Caribbean is currently being filmed in Troy Studios and on locations across the Mid-West. 

A pilot for The Wayfinders, a medieval fantasy show starring McKenzie Crook, is being filmed in the Mid-West region. The English actor has played in The Office (UK), Pirates of the Caribbean films, as well as in Game of Thrones.

Filmed by local producers Stephen Hall, Mike Jones and their company Dark Day Pictures with Camera 40, the show is directed by Glen Winter (Smallville, Arrow, The Flash).

Working with a majority of local crew and with support from Film in Limerick through Innovate Limerick, the production has filmed at Troy Studios and Pery Square in Limerick and throughout the region including at Knappogue Castle and Cratloe Woods in Clare, and in Cahir Castle and beside The Rock of Cashel in Tipperary.  

Battle scenes shot near to the Rock of Cashel last week drew hundreds of onlookers in bright sunshine, to witness explosions and spectacle with actors in medieval costumes and on horses staging a siege on a castle.

The Wayfinders will explore the story of three GenZ high school students, who are unexpectedly thrown into a brutal medieval fantasy world.

Local producer Stephen Hall said: “We are thrilled to be filming in the region and to have the support of the local councils, the OPW and the local towns and people to realise this ambitious and exciting production. It's incredible to be able to tell stories regionally and utilise the unique and dramatic scenery we have available to us in the mid-west. Being a Limerick man myself, it's especially satisfying for Dark Day Pictures to bring a production like this to our home turf. The Mid-West has immense talent and we are excited to bring more productions like this and more local jobs in film and TV to the area in the future."

Film in Limerick’s Regional Film Manager, Paul C Ryan, said: "The production have had a fantastic experience filming throughout the Mid-West at some of our most iconic locations and the crew and producers have done an amazing job with numerous action and battle scenes filmed on location as well as at Troy Studios. It is especially satisfying to see the number of locally-based crew working on The Wayfinders and all the placements and trainees who have come through Film in Limerick and our Film and TV Crew Academy, run with Screen Ireland."

The filming of Wayfinders follows a surge in TV and film production in the Mid-West, which has included Hidden Assets, The Gates, the upcoming Blackshore TV series as well as upcoming features, Woken, Double-Blind and God’s Spy.