Krypton is a colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas that occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere and it seems the TV show is not as appealing either, after it was dropped by the Syfy channel due to falling audience ratings.
Harsh words maybe but after two series of the Superman prequel, which had been filmed in the Belfast Harbour studios over the past two years, the TV show is to be no more.
Rotton Tomatoes said of the show “Krypton’s eccentricity declines into silliness with a dull narrative that fails to fulfill a promising premise.” Which is a shame as you would like to think anything ‘Superman’ themed would be very popular….but the real harness from a Northern Ireland point of view is the show will be a big loss to local TV and film production support companies.
Belfast Harbour Studios has said it seeking a new tenant after the Warner Horizon Scripted TV series Krypton was cancelled. But you wonder how much government departments in the North can gamble on these investments and who the real economic benefits are going to.
Apparently Northern Ireland Screen had invested an initial £2.4m in production funding in Krypton, according to the industry body’s ‘Opening Doors’ strategy report.
NI Screen they said that had brought an estimated return of almost £20m on expenditure on goods and services into the Northern Ireland economy. It is not clear where the source information or report is to support this statement.
In fairness, the Northern Ireland film and television industry has grown substantially in recent years, anchored by the success of Game of Thrones, so it was worth a punt, but clearly the economy in the North can afford too many punts. NI Screen said in plans to invest £14.4m until 2022 to attract large-scale productions like Game of Thrones.
