After a slow period for foreign film productions in the Czech Republic that began roughly a decade ago, new tax incentives in the country have been bringing Hollywood filmmakers back in a big way.
Just this year, major productions that have primarily utilized Prague include the Albert Einstein TV series Genius, starring Geoffrey Rush; the Shakespeare movie Ophelia, with Star Wars’ Daisy Ridley, Naomi Watts, and Clive Owen; post-WWII drama The Aftermath, featuring Keira Knightley and Jason Clarke; and the Cold War-era spy movie The Catcher Was a Spy, starring Paul Rudd, Paul Giamatti, Guy Pearce, and Jeff Daniels.
And many others. In total, more than two dozen foreign productions have shot in the Czech Republic over 2017, with the latest, the Amazon fantasy series Carnival Row starring Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, currently in Prague for a six-month shoot that runs through next March.
To keep up with increased interest in filming in Prague, local studios are going ot have to up their game.
And that’s exactly what Prague Studios unveiled to press at their Letňany location on Thursday, October 26: the addition of two new sound stages currently under construction and set for an April 2018 launch.
“Thanks to recent film incentives, the Czech Republic has reappeared on the film world map,” says Tomas Krejci, producer and owner of Prague Studios. “Demand for stage space is growing.”
Prague Studios’ recent credits include the French-Chinese action blockbuster The Adventurers, starring Jean Reno and Andy Lau, Underworld: Blood Wars, the fifth entry in the popular horror franchise, and the new TV series Britannia.
The two new stages will bring the total size of the Letňany facilities, which is currently equipped with three other stages, up to 30,000 square meters. The total investment in the new stages, which included purchasing the necessary land, totals 140 million crowns.
“We already have [clients] for the new stages for 2018, for both films and TV serials,“ added Jindrich Guttner, General Manager.
At a gala ceremony outside the new construction zone on Thursday, Prague Studios representatives and investors rang in the new stages alongside Czech actor Marek Vašut.
Local producers that have worked with Prague Studios include Milk & Honey Pictures and Rick McCallum, a Prague expat and longtime George Lucas collaborator who produced the special editions of the original trilogy as well as the prequels.
“We shot the Lucasfilm feature Red Tails and the TV series Britannia for Sky and Amazon in Prague Studios and it was a fantastic experience,” the producer stated via a press release.
“It was very refreshing to work in a studio that really understood our needs and was able to adjust to them flexibly. The local team swiftly reacted to every request and was proactive in resolving problems. Prague Studios will always have a place in my heart.”
McCallum, reportedly, has already booked Prague Studios for his next project.
Other Hollywood films shot at Prague Studios over the years include Van Helsing, Blade II, Hellboy, Running Scared, AVP: Alien vs. Predator, and xXx.
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