An invading Roman army battles the Celts during the first century A.D. for control of Britannia in an epic new series that premieres tonight in the United Kingdom on Sky TV.
Drawing advance comparisons to Game of Thrones, Britannia mixes real-life events with a heavy dose of fantasy in a storyline that features David Morrissey (best known by many as The Governor on The Walking Dead) as Roman general Aulus Plautius.
Kelly Reilly (Sherlock Holmes) and Zoë Wanamaker (Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone) star as rival Celtic leaders who must bind together to fight off the invaders.
The extensive cast also includes Mackenzie Crook (Pirates of the Caribbean), Ian McDiarmid (Palpatine in the Star Wars prequels), and Barry Ward (Jimmy’s Hall), Danish actor Nikolaj Lie Kaas (Susanne Bier’s Brothers), among others.
Filming on Britannia took place in locations around Prague during the second half of 2016, with the Czech countryside filling in for what is now the United Kingdom two millennia ago.
Interior locations were largely created on-set at Prague’s Barrandov Studios. Celtic villages were crafted on-location in rural forests near Český Brod.
A large-scale replica of Stonehenge was created for the series in a field outside the village of Mořinka. The “Czech Stonehenge” is still standing, and has become a minor tourist attraction.
Famed natural Czech rock formations at Velká Amerika, Prachovské skaly, and Hrubá Skála also feature among the series’ locations.
Local agencies UPP and Soundsquare worked post-production on the series.
Created by screenwriter Jez Butterworth (Spectre, Black Mass, Edge of Tomorrow), making his small-screen debut, Britannia’s series directors include accomplished TV veterans such as Kari Skogland (Vikings, House Of Cards) and Christoph Schrewe (The Borgias, Mr. Robot).
Along with Knightfall, Brittania was one of the biggest productions to come to the Czech Republic in recent years. Both series combined to spend more than 2 billion CZK in the country during filming.
Similar to the autumn debut Knightfall, advance reviews have been lukewarm.
Writing for The Independent, Christopher Hooton remarks the “Romans v. Celts drama tries a little too hard to be Game of Thrones.”
“Game Of Thrones has nothing to worry about with this soulless drama,” declares Metro’s Adam Starkey in a ⅖-star review.
The series debuts tonight in the UK and from January 26 in the US via Amazon Prime streaming. A Czech release date has yet to be announced.
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