Production is officially underway in the picturesque landscapes outside of Limerick, Ireland, for an exciting new fantasy television series titled The Wayfinders.
The project, a full series greenlit after a successful pilot episode filmed in the region in October 2023, is a co-production between North America's Arrowstorm Entertainment and Ireland's Dark Day Pictures.
Arrowstorm Entertainment brings a proven track record in the fantasy genre, having previously produced the fantasy-adventure series The Outpost, which premiered on The CW in 2018, as well as the six-installment direct-to-video Mythica film series.
Their collaboration with Dark Day Pictures promises a blend of international production expertise and the evocative backdrop of the Irish countryside.
The cast for The Wayfinders boasts a compelling ensemble, including Mackenzie Crook (renowned for his role in Pirates of the Caribbean), Tamara Smart (known for Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Resident Evil), Evan Fields (Hacks, Players), and Vincent Mattis (Teen Wolf: The Movie, The Dirt).
The pilot episode was helmed by veteran director Glen Winter, whose extensive credits include work on acclaimed series such as Smallville, Arrow, and The Flash.
The premise of The Wayfinders offers a captivating fish-out-of-water narrative. According to Stephen Hall, company director at Dark Day Pictures, the series follows "a group of American teenagers on a field trip that wander off and find a magical portal to a Dungeons & Dragons kind of world - and they get stuck there! Unfortunately, they do encounter dragons and they do get stuck in some dungeons!"
The premise sounds an awful lot like the classic Dungeouns and Dragons cartoon from the '80s, where a group of kids were transported to the realm of D&D after riding an enchanted amusement park ride.
Hopefully, The Wayfinders will take itself a little more seriously than the campy, albeit beloved, cartoon.
Hall further elaborated on the central conflict, stating, "So the whole journey is them trying to make their way back home, and they encounter magical creatures and all kinds of exciting things."
The production is taking full advantage of Ireland's rich historical and natural beauty. "We're shooting [at] Shannon Heritage sites," Hall revealed. "We're shooting in Co Tipperary, Co Clare, Co Limerick, of course - utilising castles and ancient sites and, really, all the beautiful things we have here in Ireland but especially in the midwest."
The director also teased some of the epic scale viewers can expect, mentioning a significant action sequence filmed at the iconic Rock of Cashel in Co Tipperary. "We have an epic battle that takes place there with explosions and raining fireballs," he described.
Other key filming locations include the historic Cahir Castle and Knappogue Castle in Co Clare, with the production capturing "beautiful travel montage where we take in loads of little 'postcard moments' in the west."
With filming now underway and a talented cast and experienced production team at the helm, The Wayfinders is shaping up to be an exciting new addition to the fantasy television landscape. Stay tuned for additional updates as we look forward to the release of a trailer and announcement of a release date.