SETTING THE SCENE
SARAH MARSHALL REVEALS FIVE BLOCKBUSTER LOCATIONS LIKELY TO FIND FAME WITH TOURISTS THIS YEAR
ATRIP to the cinema is pure escapism, with special effects and epic locations transporting us to many other worlds. Some scenes are so impactful, they even inspire viewers to visit locations, giving rise to a tourism trend coined ‘set-jetting’.
So which films and TV are likely to shape our travel plans in 2019? According to flight booking engine Kiwi. com, these visual narratives are likely to put particular destinations on the map.
1. GAME OF THRONES Where: Northern Ireland
THE show, based on author George R. R. Martin’s A Song Of Ice And Fire series, returns to screens for its eighth and final season on April 14. Venture along the path of the three-eyed raven by visiting one of the many age-old landscapes of the Seven Kingdoms in Northern Ireland. Eager fans can retrace previous filming locations by stopping off at The Dark Hedges, an avenue of beech trees along Bregagh Road between Armoy and Stranocum in County Antrim; Ballintoy Harbour, where the Iron Islands shots are filmed; and Cushendun Caves, where Melisandre had her shadow baby
2. RATCHED Where: Oregon, USA
BASED on the sadistic history of Nurse Ratched from the cult classic One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, this new Netflix show will follow her murderous progression through the US mental health system. Sinister thrillseekers can visit Oregon, the home of her perverse past, and can escape to locations such as Crater Lake, Mount Hood, Multnomah Falls, Timberline Lodge, and Haystack Rock.
3. THE HANDMAID’S TALE Where: Massachusetts, USA
THE dystopian landscape of Gilead returns to our screens in 2019, and is set to inspire viewers to take a trip to the US state of Massachusetts, where the story is set. In reality, much of the filming was done in Toronto, but some scenes were shot in Boston. Fenway Park, the Charles River and Back Bay all feature.
4. THE NEW POPE Where: Rome, Italy
FOLLOWING on from first series, The Young Pope, this follow up sees Jude Law return to Italy’s Vatican City, where filming took place. You too can tour the Vatican, and explore other Roman locations featured, such as the church Santi Luca e Martina, 17th century Villa Doria Pamphili, and Villa Medici – The French Academy in Rome.
5. ALADDIN Where: Jordan
FOLLOWING on from the success of The Jungle Book, Disney has commissioned a live-action remake of Aladdin. The story is set in the fictional land of Agrabah, and although much of the filming took place in Surrey, some scenes were shot in Jordan’s Wadi Rum Desert.