The Disney Channel are currently filming a new musical series in Northern Ireland – and they’re hoping it will be as big as the High School Musical films.
The 10-part series is titled The Lodge and is set on the 400-acre Montalto Estate at Ballynahinch in County Down, with other scenes being shot in Castlewellan and Tollymore Forest.
The musical tells the story of 15-year-old city girl Skye, who packs her bags and moves to the countryside to live with her father in a rural holiday lodge after her mother passed away.
Castmates: The cast of The Lodge are filming in Northern Ireland | DISNEY
The Lodge will star plenty of actors and actresses with stars on the rise, including Sophie Simnett who plays the lead role, Thomas Doherty as the love-interest, Bethan Wright, and Luke Newton among many others.
The series will follow in the footsteps of Game of Thrones, who regularly film in Northern Ireland, and holds a cast of 22 and 67 crew, including 46 Northern Irish people.
In a statement, David Levine, the director of programming for the Disney Channel in the UK and Ireland said: “Northern Ireland has a great production pool and up until now it has been mostly known for swords and dragons.
Musical: The cast are enjoying filming on the Irish landscape | DISNEY
“Disney Channel is bringing songs and dancing – we have a great, talented cast who can not only act but sing and dance and we have original songs.”
“We’re investing quite a bit, and you have production, post-production, builders, sets and filming in multiple locations here.”
The Lodge will complete filming before the summer, and will be shown first on the Disney Channel in the UK and the Republic of Ireland in September.Â
