What do Game of Thrones, stoner comedy Your Highness, and the Titanic—the ship, not the movie—have in common? They all took advantage of Tollymore Forest Park’s resources and natural beauty, stretching across 1,600 acres of luscious land at the foot of the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland. Now, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves joins the growing list of projects utilizing this breathtaking spot.
“The Mourne Mountains [and] Tollymore Forest Park are a great playground for us as filmmakers,” says Honor Among Thieves location manager Naomi Liston. “Any production that requires landscapes of scale and scope, this is where we come,” she adds, as we approach the stunning setting on a recent visit to Northern Ireland. Oak trees in Tollymore Forest were sourced to build the interiors of the White Star Line steamships, including the RMS Titanic. Nature, history, myths, folklore, and pop culture intersect to create an impressive tapestry for visitors to explore in the area surrounding Belfast.
The Daily Beast’s Obsessed spent two days with Liston touring the locations directors Jonathan Goldsten and John Francis Daley feature in Honor Among Thieves, the dynamite adaptation of the fantasy tabletop game that’s now in theaters.
Not only does Honor Among Thieves boast a star-packed cast, but it also delivers a story full of charm, heart, adventure, and humor. After a daring heist goes wrong, our heroes come up against various foes as they travel across challenging terrain. Chris Pine leads the charge as the endlessly charming Edgin, trying to reunite with his daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman) and settle scores with conman Forge (Hugh Grant).
Words are Edgin’s strength as a bard, so he is lucky to have warrior barbarian—and BFF—Holga (Michelle Rodriguez), in battle. Nervous half-elf sorcerer Simon (Justice Smith) and cautious shapeshifter Doric (Sophia Lillis) complete the ragtag group. Powerful Red Wizard Sofina (Daisy Heard) aids rogue Forge in his quest to rule the opulent Neverwinter metropolis, which in reality marries scenes shot on location and at Belfast’s Titanic Studios.
From Shipbuilding to Movie Making
Ah, yes, that familiar name again! It wasn’t until the release of James Cameron’s monster smash hit that Belfast fully embraced being the birthplace of the doomed White Star vessel. Now, the shipyard where these vessels came to life has been transformed into the Titanic Quarter, boasting the award-winning Titanic Belfast visitor experience and Titanic Studios. Game of Thrones and Honor Among Thieves both shot on stages here, and one booming industry has replaced another.
While the Game of Thrones tour at Linen Mill Studios has preserved some sets, the exteriors mostly live on through the stunning shots featured in the series. Dubrovnik in Croatia doubled as King’s Landing, but production needed to be able to tear the walls down with dragon fire and cannons. The solution was to transform a Titanic Studios parking lot, eventually making way for a different fantasy metropolis in 2021: “We revamped the King’s Landing backlot set into Neverwinter.”
Titanic Studios is far from the only piece of the Neverwinter puzzle. They popped over to England to shoot the courtyards and drawbridges at Alnwick Castle and the interiors, cloisters, and eye-catching staircase at Wells Cathedral. Carrickfergus Castle on the northern shore of Belfast Loch also provided a pivotal backdrop. “That was four elements that we married together to make Neverwinter,” says Liston of structures dating as far back as the Norman era.
Spending this time with Liston is an eye-opening experience covering all angles of filmmaking that was music to my process-nerd ears—I can tell you all about tax breaks and Screen Actors Guild rules. Her résumé is packed with mythic-leaning titles, including all eight Game of Thrones seasons, Robert Eggers’ Viking thriller The Northman, and medieval comedy Your Highness, the 2011 film starring Danny McBride and Natalie Portman. But she isn’t always stuck in fantasy-leaning versions of the past. Her next movie is Neill Blomkamp’s Gran Turismo, the biographical sports drama based on the video game of the same name, scheduled for this summer.
Beyond Game of Thrones
While Liston couldn’t spill any details about her current job (Prime Video’s forthcoming Blade Runner 2099 series), she did offer her unique perspective covering everything from utilizing centuries-old buildings to the logistics behind a project of this size. That’s not to mention the challenge of avoiding replicating visuals from previous gigs.
"Did Thrones shoot here?" is a frequently asked question when Liston presents directors and designers with specific settings. Her response? “Guys, there were eight seasons, 76 episodes, 10 years that we shot in Northern Ireland; what do you think? There isn’t much of a patch of Northern Ireland that we didn’t shoot on Game of Thrones, and it’s up to you to shoot it in a different way and turn it into something different.”
The footprint left by Game of Thrones is evident in the guided tours that are taking place nearby, while Liston describes the red moss-covered trees scene from Honor Among Thieves in Tollymore Forest Park.
When we drive through the picturesque countryside, Blue Badge tourist guide Billy Scott paints a vivid picture chronicling the kind of tales that inspire writers like George R.R Martin. He switches between stories about Saint Patrick (yes, that one), Brigid of Kildare, and the Cú Chulainn (aka The Hound of Ulster), while pointing out regions that doubled as Westeros spots like Braavos Harbor, the rugged terrain where Ned lost his head and the cave that transformed into Melisandre’s shadow baby birthing suite. (Which happened to be just off in the distance from the road we were traveling on.)
The HBO series injected £251 million (approximately $310 million) into the Northern Ireland economy during its entire run, and it is no wonder other projects are drawn to this attractive destination. The adventures of a bard, barbarian, sorcerer, and Owlbear now join this colorful list of characters who have come to life in this growing filmmaking sector.
Storytelling is baked into the landscape, offering fantasy filmmakers a tangible version of the environment that will become home to good-natured thieves, terrifying druids, and fire-breathing beasts. As we drive through rolling hills, the sky shifts from gray to piercing blue and back again to reveal a world beyond “winter is coming.” Spring is very much upon us, signified by the many leaping lambs and the colorful flowers beginning to bloom.
Summer Is Coming
It is safe to say that Liston has experienced plenty of the colder Northern Irish climate while shooting Game of Thrones. Neverwinter and the surrounding area is a far cry from Winterfell, even if they used some of the exact locations. “It was so lovely to be showing Northern Ireland in the summertime—in the hazy, beautiful sunshine,” she says. One of Liston’s briefs was to capture the “perpetual sunshine” and warm glow of the Neverwinter metropolis. Luckily 2021 was a “fantastic summer” (something they couldn’t guarantee). Liston admits it was lovely not to be filming “in the cold, the sludge and mud” that gave the Stark and Greyjoy homestead its aesthetic. She is excited to show this country in a “different light—not cold and windy.”
At no point did I have to pull out my raincoat or umbrella, as aside from some drizzle here and there, the climate is more Neverwinter than Winterfell during this late weekend in March. Crossing Foley’s Bridge (built in 1787) takes us to one of several spots in Tollymore Forest Park, offering a breathtaking lesson on why filmmakers are so enamored. “The architecture, split levels, and the depth you're getting in the rocks are very attractive,” says Liston. Some additional fake flowers give an extra pop of color, but this is only minimal as the bridge, root structures, greenery, and stream pull focus.
Nearby is the “Hermitage” stone shelter, a folly added in the 1770s that heightens the spellbinding mood. It is in this stretch of the Shimna River that Natalie Portman takes a dip in Your Highness. In Honor Among Thieves, an idyllic scene featuring an enchanted amulet offers a glimpse of the time before Edgin and Holga are sent to the chilly prison. Liston points out it was greener when they shot, but the Kelly green tones shine bright in the March sunshine.
From here, we move onto the woodland area that sees our heroes joined by the unnervingly cool paladin Xenk (Regé-Jean Page) on horseback before they venture into the Underdark. “There are not many places in Northern Ireland that still have this,” says Liston about the towering pines in this area. Another attraction is the lack of uniformity to their positions, as “this looks a lot more natural when you've got horses winding through.” In Honor Among Thieves, they didn’t need to worry about changing the green moss (“they made that sing with red”) as this was a visual effect completed in post-production.
Tollymore Forest Park stays open to visitors while shooting takes place, as it is a public park, and the growing number of titles shot here adds to its visitor appeal. “Everybody welcomes filming, but there is a strict process,” Liston says.
This is no more apparent than when Liston explains how a seemingly simple setting required “no less than five separate licenses” before Goldstein and Daley could call “action!” Castle Ward in Strangford, Downpatrick, is where Page’s Xenk makes his heroic first appearance. The opulent estate dates back to the 18th century and is now under the banner of the National Trust. They needed to get a marine construction license, habitat regulations assessment (it is an area of special scientific interest), and a Crown license as “every bit of the foreshore around Northern Ireland belongs to the late Queen [Elizabeth; now King Charles].” Collaboration is fundamental when a production has a big footprint. “What on the surface looks like ‘Come and shoot here;’ no, it’s quite tough,” she says.
Castle Ward’s courtyard area was covered with sand and dressed to conceal antique farming equipment that would be precarious to move. It looks so different on screen that it is unlikely that anyone will notice this is the spot where Jaime Lannister threw Bran Stark from the window when it doubled as Winterfell during Season 1 (subsequent seasons were shot on a private estate nearer Belfast).
Making Locations Work
One place that didn’t feature in Game of Thrones is the Norman-era Carrickfergus Castle, which has an imposing waterfront position. The harbor sits in its shadow, playing a pivotal role near the climax of Honor Among Thieves (no spoilers!). The tides impact the shooting schedule, so they also shot an interior scene within the castle. “We have to try and make locations work for us against things that we can do nothing about—like the tide,” says Liston. Filming inside the fortress comes with challenges, such as access points limited to winding staircases in the keep. Of course, the room they shot in was several floors up, and a huge table had to be carried as part of the Harpers’ sanctuary scene.
Whereas Carrickfergus Castle saw the cast getting snapped in costume by the press, the walled garden at Glenarm Castle isn’t as populated (though the estate is open to the public). The Jacobean-style mansion has been home to the Earls of Antrim for over 400 years, and this property provides the backdrop for a daring robbery. “It’s rare they allow filming, but they liked the project [and] cast; it was a beautiful sunny day, and they were happy to have us,” says Liston.
During the press tour, Chris Pine told Variety he would “take walks on the beach” on the weekends when other cast members were doing fight training. This reverence for the area is something Liston experienced first-hand: “Chris Pine, when we were up at Glenarm, he was blown away, and he asked specifically to come and talk to me and have a chat about all the locations. He loved it.” (Another reason why he is the Best Chris)
While I’m not playing favorites (OK, I am), Ballintoy Harbour is the most spectacular and topically diverse setting, with sheep grazing on lush green grass to one side and a sparkling blue sea with mythic-looking rock formations to the other. It provides the backdrop for one of Honor Among Thieves’ trippiest sequences, when Simon first tries to harness the true extent of his powers. When Simon wears the Helmet of Disjunction, time decelerates, giving the already otherworldly vista an elevated ethereal aesthetic. It is a moment layered with humor and heart that allows Smith to take center stage.
On the day we visited, the bright coastal nook contrasted with the placard that had photos of the muted Greyjoys stronghold, the Iron Island. Yes, Ballintoy appeared several times in Game of Thrones, including in the final season when Varys met his fiery end.
Rain, snow, or shine, Northern Ireland is a fantasy wonderland that also exists in real life—no matter how you roll the dice.
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