The Greek government’s general secretary of media and communications, Lefteris Kretsos, who only days earlier launched an international campaign to let the production world know that Greece was now “film friendly,” is calling a move by archeologists an an “international embarrassment.”
U.S.-based cable television network AMC and British BBC are co-developing a television series that will be based on best-selling spy novelist John le Carre’s “The Little Drummer Girl.”
The series has been generating a lot of interest from international audiences online and the internet has been ripe with anticipation about the series, which will air in the United States and throughout the world as part of the co-production deal.
But Greece powerful Central Archaologist Council, which goes by the Greek an acronym KAS, denied a request for one-day access by the production crew.
“We have declared that Greece is now film-friendly. A few days later, another institution is contradicting this, not us but the hopes and ambitions of artists, technicians and thousands of professionals that are a part of this industry. It is an international embarrassment,” Lefteris Kretsos said, adding that “Once again highlights the issues we have as a country.”
The six-part series stars Alexander Skarsgard and Britain’s Florence Pugh and is based on the 1983 novel, that puts an Israeli spy chief in a global adventure to hunt a Palestinian bomber.
This would be the eleventh of Le Carre’s novels to have been adapted to film and television.
The Greek government– only days ago– launched a major campaign to attract foreign film productions, issuing a video that shares the natural beauty of the country as well as technical details about talented local crews and other incentives to international productions.
This is yet another example of the complications of filming in Greece, experienced by many international productions in recent years, including the sequel to Mamma Mia and the last film of the “Bourne” franchise– both of which opted for alternative locations since Greece became too complicated.
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