Several international TV films and series are currently being shot in the Czech Republic.
The shooting of the ten-episode American TV series Missing is underway in Prague and surroundings until October. The story centres around a mother, played by Ashley Judd, who is searching throughout Europe for her missing son. Events soon show that she is a CIA agent. The crew will spend more than 90 days shooting in the Czech Republic along with a few days in Croatia and in Istanbul.
The series is being produced by ABC Studios, which primarily chose the Czech Republic thanks to incentives, also provided to television projects. Stillking Films is the local partner.
The sets have been put up on the lot and in the studios of Barrandov Studios for the two-part French TV film Merlin l’enchanteur (Merlin the Magician), which GMT Productions, in a coproduction with the Czech Republic’s OKKO Production, is filming here from the middle of July until the middle of September. It takes the well-known story of Merlin the magician (Gérard Jugnot), this time told in a somewhat lighter form, in the family comedy genre. The film is meant for the TF1 television station, which will show it in 2012.
The French production brought the minimum filming crew of thirteen people, hiring another hundred locally. Another few dozen Czech workers contributed to the preparatory work such as the construction of sets, props and costumes. In addition to the filming in the studios, the crew also choose to natural exteriors in the Czech Republic such as the renowned Prachovské Rocks in Bohemian Paradise.
Television films, take three: The film Die Kastellanin (The Castellan), the story of a young woman Marie (Alexandra Neldel) set at the beginning of the 15th century, is being made for the German SAT1 television station and Austria’s ORF.
Of course, the roughly 100-member crew (70% of which is local) is filming primarily at historical locations: the Křivoklát, Točník and Kokořín castles. The production is being arranged by Germany’s TV60 München in coproduction with the Czech Republic’s Wilma Film and Barrandov Studios.
The film follows the successful TV film Die Wanderhure (The Whore), which was the most successful show broadcast on the SAT1 station in 2010, when it was viewed by over 10 million viewers.