An Taoiseach Simon Harris (TD) visited the set of Netflix’s Wednesday Season 2, which is set to be the largest production to ever film in Ireland.
The Taoiseach was joined by Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin and Désirée Finnegan, Chief Executive of Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, where they met with the series director Tim Burton, showrunners Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, and several Irish creatives working on the production.
Speaking about the visit, Taoiseach Simon Harris (TD) said: “It was a pleasure to visit Netflix’s Wednesday set to see the award-winning team in action and meet acclaimed director and executive producer Tim Burton. I'm delighted to see Ireland continues to be chosen as a location to film series and movies which supports our economy, creates jobs, showcases our creative talents and promotes our country on a global stage."
Minister Catherine Martin (TD) added: “I’m delighted that Netflix and MGM Television chose to bring Wednesday - one of its biggest shows - to Ireland, creating jobs and hugely contributing to the Irish economy. The Irish Government’s continued recognition of the importance of incoming large-scale production for our sector has been invaluable. Supports like Section 481 are crucial to the continued development of Ireland’s screen sector.”
Anna Mallett, VP Production EMEA, Netflix said: “Ireland has a thriving production sector, and Netflix has a keen interest in its long-term potential. In recent years we have invested substantially in productions made in Ireland such as The Siege of Jadotville, The Wonder, Bodkin, and Vikings: Valhalla.”
“Netflix is planning to produce Marian Keyes Grown Ups and Lisa McGee’s How to Get to Heaven from Belfast series in Ireland too. We’re so proud to now bring the cultural juggernaut that is Wednesday to Ireland, as the country’s biggest production it will create jobs and add millions of Euros to the Irish economy,” added Mallett.
Lindsay Sloane, Head of MGM Television added: “Ireland has long been a home for MGM Television productions from the original Vikings in 2012, to Vikings: Valhalla, and now Wednesday. We have found resources in Ireland to be top notch and an incredibly skilled group of professionals and apprentices that help bring our productions to life. We are proud to be a part of the growing television and film community.”
An Taoiseach highlighted recent improvements to the film and television tax incentive, Section 481. Last year’s Budget announcements increased the tax incentive’s cap on eligible expenditure from €70 million to €125 million per project, and further extended the credit to 2028. These amendments have been welcomed by the Irish screen industry as encouraging further investment into the Irish economy on jobs, goods and services during production.
Wednesday is the most popular English-language TV series on Netflix, amassing 252.1 million views of Season One. The series has spent 20 weeks on the global top 10 and the top 10 in 93 countries.
Wednesday is produced by Amazon MGM Studios for Netflix.
