A new science fiction movie, ‘Our Robot Overlords,’ shut down the famous Carrickfergus Castle in Co Antrim this month for a few days to accommodate for film shooting.

The film, which stars Gillian Anderson and Ben Kingsley, is about a group of youngsters who try to stop a robot invasion, reports UTV. To facilitate shooting, the castle which dates back to 1777 was shut down to the public from June 24 - 28.

Environment Minister Alex Attwood said, "The fact that this production company has chosen Carrickfergus Castle as a venue for their filming is an excellent example of how our built heritage can be used to encourage interest and investment in Northern Ireland.”

"One of our most impressive built heritage assets will now be showcased to both a local and global market."

Terry A'Hearn, chief executive of the Environment Agency, said "While we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to the visiting public, it is our belief that the spin-off publicity may ultimately lead to many more tourist visits.”

"Therefore the net benefits to the castle, to the town of Carrickfergus and to the rest of Northern Ireland would by far exceed any short term inconvenience."

Carrickfergus Castle joins other Northern Irish locales in being chosen for backdrops for television and films. HBO’s wildly popular ‘Game of Thrones’ series films around Northern Ireland, and Luke Evans is set to film ‘Dracula’ in Belfast this summer.