When Mark Hamill made a splash earlier this month with his photos from Prague, some (including myself) speculated that the actor might be in the Czech capital on vacation before filming commences on Star Wars: Episode IX in London in the near future.
Well, it turns out that Hamill will be in Prague a little longer.
Last week, it was revealed that the Star Wars actor had been cast in the second season of the History Channel TV series Knightfall, which will return to Prague to shoot this fall.
Knightfall, which premiered on TV worldwide last December, filmed its first season in the Czech capital in 2016. The shooting made headlines when an entire medieval village set at Barrandov Studios went up in flames, causing an estimated 100 million CZK ($4 million) in damages.
The TV series stars Tom Cullen as a Landry, a Knight Templar and Crusades veteran who leads a quest for the Holy Grail. Pádraic Delaney (The Tudors), Simon Merrells (Spartacus: Blood and Sand), Olivia Ross (War and Peace), and Julian Ovenden (Downton Abbey) also featured among the primary cast in the first season of the show.
In season 2 of Knightfall, Hamill is set to play Talus, “a battle-hardened Knight Templar veteran of the Crusades, who survived captivity for ten years in the Holy Land and is tasked with training the new initiates to the Order.”
Casting Hamill, who famously stars as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, as a member of the Knights Templar is an interesting coincidence: the Knights Templar were often cited as a major influence for Star Wars creator George Lucas when creating the Jedi Knights.
Season 2 of Knightfall will also feature a new showrunner, Aaron Helbing (Spartacus: War of the Damned, The Flash), who takes over from Dominic Minghella.
Tom Forbes and Genevieve Gaunt also join the cast as the children of King Philip of France (Ed Stoppard), who featured in the series’ first season.
Filming for Knightfall season 2 is expected to commence at Barrandov Studios and other locations around Prague within the coming months. While season 1 premiered in December 2017, fans will likely have to wait longer for season 2 to kick off.
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