How Game of Thrones Will Be Affected If UK Chooses to Leave the EU

If UK chooses to leave the EU, the production of Game of Thrones may take a hit. The Quint tells you how.

The Brexit vote sounds far off from our context, right? Why should India be bothered about the European Union referendum?

Well, if you’re among the thousands who actively share Game of Thrones memes, hiss at spoilers, and keep your eyes glued to various streaming sites on the morning of a new episode – there’s bad news.

If the UK votes to leave the EU on Thursday, your favourite show may be affected. UK will take Northern Ireland with it, which plays host to a significant portion of the show’s production.

How Is the Show Affected, You Ask?

As the fantastical series is incredibly costly to produce, it’s dependent on an inflow of steady cash from the EU’s European Regional Development Fund, reports The Independent. The fund is designed to boost economic growth across the Union. And since the show creates thousands of jobs in Northern Ireland, Spain and other places every year, it’s lucrative for the Union to play host to the production.

But with Northern Ireland out of the EU, and a subsequent cut in budgets, it would be a challenge to shoot scenes of mammoth scales as it does now. If the shooting were to suddenly shift to another country, the show’s continuity may also take a hit.

Granted, Game of Thrones is big enough to skirt around this problem, which seems minuscule, but England voting to leave is a big and very real threat to TV and film productions which want to shoot in England or Northern Ireland.

So even if not for any economic, political or social reasons, for the sake of Game of Thrones – let the EU referendum debate sway you.