Sinbad might sail back to Malta

Although the first season of the TV series - whose 12-episode run was filmed entirely in Malta over the past few months - still remains to be tested by international audiences after it hits small screens this July, Busuttil told MaltaToday that the producers of the fantasy adventure series have "shown an interest" in coming back to Malta.

"It seems like they really want to do business," Busuttil told MaltaToday. "When I met them in London recently one of them told me: 'make sure Fort Ricasoli is free for us next year!' Obviously it's not confirmed that a second season will even happen because we have to see how the first season fares, but I think that it's got a good chance," Busuttil added.

The series - which features Maltese actress Marama Corlett in a prominent role - is an Impossible Pictures production for Sky and BBC Worldwide, and presents a fresh take on the legendary seafaring adventurer.

Culled from the ancient stories of The Arabian Nights, Sinbad has been a recurring character in film an animation since the 1930s.

In Sky1's version, Sinbad (newcomer Elliot Knight), will begin his legendary journey after being cast out of his native city of Basra following the death of his brother. On a mission to lift a curse placed on him by his grandmother, he hops aboard The Providence, a ship populated by a rag-tag band of fellow adventurers, including the Norwegian sailor Gunnar (Elliot Cowan), sneaky jewel-thief Rina (Corlett), and the lofty Nala (Estella Daniels).

The series will also feature a number of either high-profile or up-and-coming actors, including Lost's Naveen Andrews, Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda) and veteran British actor Timothy Spall (Harry Potter, Oliver Twist, The Last Samurai).

The series is set to premiere on Sky1 in early July, and the network will determine whether to pick up the series for another season based on how well it fares during its 12-week run.

Having wrapped up in February, Sindbad ushered in a flurry of activity for the Malta Film Commission, which is currently overseeing a number of international productions.

Chief of them is the Tom Hanks-starring Captain Philips - set for a 2013 release date - and the second season of the Italian TV series 'Come un delfino', starring Raoul Bova.

"There's also a Russian production - Fort Ross - and a number of short documentaries - including a British production filmed to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the George Cross," Busuttil said.

"While these documentaries obviously don't have the same budgets as the big Hollywood productions and TV series, they involve a good number of people and generate lots of interest about Malta," Busuttil said.

Busuttil also explained how the Film Commission adopted a 'one-location-fits-all' approach to lure in productions to Malta - owing to Malta's closeness to the sea, its landscape and architectural feature.

"The climate? We have it. Short distances? We have them. Everything is accessible, and it's easy to speak to everyone. The fact that we're bilingual also helps, and I always believed that the Maltese have a 'can do, will do, attitude'," Busuttil said.

While the world waits for the Sinbad premiere, TV series fans are currently enjoying the second season of HBO's hugely successful fantasy series Game of Thrones - the first season of which was filmed in Malta.

The Maltese landscape - as well as a spate of local actors - featured prominently throughout the fantasy series. The production was however dogged by minor controversy, after it was discovered that precious fossils were destroyed while the HBO series was being filmed in Dwejra.

The second season of Game of Thrones was subsequently filmed in Ireland and Croatia.

Stopping short of commenting about why the series did not return to Malta, Busuttil said that the Commission "tried to lure them back for season three," though nothing concrete has come of it as yet.