No, Brexit Will Not Affect 'Game Of Thrones'

While certainly not the most important result of Britain's vote to leave the European Union, fans of Game of Thrones have nonetheless wondered about whether or not Brexit will affect Game of Thrones' production, considering that the show is filmed in Britain and received funding from the EU's European Regional Development Fund. Yet luckily for nervous fans, HBO released a statement to Entertainment Weekly recently assuring viewers that they "do not anticipate that the result of the EU referendum will have any material effect on HBO producing Game of Thrones." Phew.

Fans had reason to be concerned, and they might still be a little worried, considering how expensive Game of Thrones is to make (some episodes cost upwards of $6 million) and how massive a deal Brexit is. Yet the HBO statement should be of assurance that GoT won't be impacted by the recent political decision, as should the fact that, presumably due to the show's massive success, Game of Thrones hasn't received any EU funding in recent years. No matter what the effects of Brexit turn out to be, GoT will likely be just fine.

Unfortunately, this is not the case for all shows that once received funding from the EU, or continue to do so. Game of Thrones may be one of the most popular shows of our time, but there are many smaller shows, like The Tunnel and Shaun the Sheep, that are created or filmed in Britain that might not be able to survive without the EU funding. As Michael Ryan, the chairman of the Independent Film and Television Alliance, told Variety :

"The decision to exit the European Union is a major blow to the U.K. film and TV industry. Producing films and television programs is a very expensive and very risky business and certainty about the rules affecting the business is a must."

Yet Great Britain isn't expected to fully break with the EU for another two years, and by this time, shows like Game of Thrones might not even be on the air ( GoT creators have revealed their plan to stop making the show after two more shortened seasons), and perhaps a new plan to fund shows will be in place. However, it's understandable that fans and filmmakers are concerned for what will happen to the industry, and only time will tell what truly needs to change as a result of the British vote.

Image: HBO