The third and final instalment of Sky Atlantic’s much-loved Arctic thriller Fortitude is the latest major title to choose The Bottle Yard Studios as its UK production base.
Confirmed by Sky Atlantic today, the new four-part mini-series made by British production company Fifty Fathoms will film in the UK at The Bottle Yard Studios this year as well as on location in Svalbard, Norway where writer Simon Donald found his original inspiration for the series.
The Sky Original Production will use a total of 50,0000 sq ft of build space at The Bottle Yard, spanning Tank Houses 1 & 4 and Studio 2. Full prop store will be based on site and a number of facilities provided by the Studios’ tenant companies will be used by production during the UK leg of filming.
Fortitude Producer Andrew Wood said: “As far as I’m concerned, The Bottle Yard Studios is totally fit for purpose for Fortitude. This UK leg of the shoot is entirely studio-based so we’ve needed room for a lot of sets and construction. This was a large part of what drew us to Bristol and the space available here has allowed us to completely fulfil our production needs. Since we’ve been here nothing has been too much trouble, which is always helpful.”
Fiona Francombe, Site Director of The Bottle Yard Studios said: “It’s an honour to be Fortitude’s official UK home for this new series. We’re pleased that the flexibility of our studio space coupled with our convenient proximity to international links has made Bristol the best fit for another major high-end TV title. Both series to date have been sensational hits, not just in the UK but enjoyed by millions all around the world, so to be a part of the finale is a great boost for our global reputation, which is extending in reach all the time. The message is clear – Bristol, UNESCO City of Film, is the ideal place to make great drama.”
The third and final trip to the Arctic Norwegian settlement of Fortitude will feature returning key cast including Dennis Quaid (Far from Heaven), Richard Dormer (Game of Thrones), Sienna Guillory (Stan Lee’s Lucky Man), Luke Treadaway (A Street Cat Named Bob), Alexandra Moen (Strike Back), Mia Jexen (Happiness) and Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson (Jar City), as well as some new faces to be announced at a later date.
Fortitude is written by Simon Donald (Low Winter Sun) and executive producers for Fifty Fathoms are Patrick Spence (The A Word, Guerrilla), Simon Donald, Dennis Quaid (The Art of More). Sky’s head of drama Anne Mensah is executive producer for Sky. The third series will be produced by Andrew Wood (Will), directed by Kieron Hawkes (Strike) with production design by Paul Spriggs (The A Word).
1.4 million viewers tuned in to each episode of the second series last year, which was described as “wholly immersive” by The Observer and “stunning and brilliantly acted” by Empire. Series one and two have been sold to more than 200 broadcasters internationally, making it Sky Vision’s bestselling programme.