JJ Abrams, the filmmaker of Star Wars, has cancelled a big television series that was set to film in Belfast.
Demimonde, a science fiction drama, was intended to air on HBO in the United States.
Crews who had begun work on the project in Belfast have been placed on leave.
Northern Ireland Screen expressed its “great disappointment” that the television series would not be filmed.
JJ Abrams is well known for his work on the Star Wars and Mission: Impossible franchises.
According to a report, crew members who were working on the project in pre-production were sent home, while negotiations between JJ Abrams’ production company, Bad Robot, and HBO took place.
The show was cancelled owing to “financial concerns,” according to the film industry journal The Hollywood Reporter.
The TV show was in pre-production at Belfast’s Titanic Studios, which also housed Game of Thrones and the impending blockbuster film Dungeons & Dragons.
He was expected to stay in the studios for more than a year, providing well-paid work for local film crews.
Northern Ireland Screen scored a major coup when Demimonde agreed to film in Belfast.
The screening agency stated that it would do everything possible to find a new production to fill the studio space.
A spokeswoman said, “This project has been prepping on the ground in Belfast for many months and was set to film its pilot soon.”
“Northern Ireland Screen is aware that in the screen sector, late and tough decisions do occur, particularly with the most expensive productions that have the highest stakes.”
“The cancellation of Demimonde has left a void in Northern Ireland’s production calendar, which Northern Ireland Screen will do all in its power to fill as soon as possible, knowing that much freelance crew and supply chain companies were counting on Demimonde for work in the months ahead.”
Major productions such as The Northman, The School for Good and Evil, Lift, and Dungeons and Dragons have recently improved Northern Ireland’s film and television sector.
