Dubrovnik filming for Otto Bathurst's Robin Hood

Key locations in Dubrovnik included a former granary that became Robin’s ancestral home of Loxley Manor, while the historic Church of St Dominic, dating back hundreds of years, was used for exterior shots of Nottingham Palace.

Crew members had to be careful with their set construction and builds as Dubrovnik is a protected UNESCO World Heritage site.

The city has been particularly renowned for its distinctive historical architecture in the global production industry since it was chosen to play King’s Landing in HBO’s Game of Thrones.

In the years since, Dubrovnik has appeared in productions including Star Wars: The Last Jedi and the historical TV drama Knightfall.

Croatia lacks suitable studio facilities for big-budget shoots, so stage work for Robin Hood was instead filmed at Korda Studios outside Budapest. Producers have access to half a dozen sound stages, a water tank and numerous standing sets including a medieval village.

Studio set builds for Robin Hood included a Syrian desert setting and a military camp.

Bathurst’s team in fact needed a bigger filming space for a key action sequence involving the siege of a Syrian city. For this, an immense set was constructed in a former aluminium factory outside Budapest, with set builds that reached as high as 150 feet.

“That set took my breath away,” says producer Jennifer Davisson. “It was one of the most stunning interior sets I’ve seen. Forget a different period – it was a different world. The entire thing – with these large and colourful Ottoman structures, narrow alleyways and tucked-away market kiosks – was created in one giant hollowed-out warehouse.”

Budapest’s studios attract a lot of international shoots. Hungary’s generous filming incentive support is a major factor and key Eastern European locations are easily accessible from the capital.

See KFTV's production guide for more on filming in Croatia.

Images: Larry Horricks/Lionsgate