City of Night, a German-produced TV series and adaptation of the vampire-based graphic novel series Berlinoir, is currently shooting on the streets of Prague. Production of the series in the Czech capital commenced earlier this spring, but few details about the project have been officially made public.
City of Night is the latest project from German production company Amusement Park, which was originally founded by producer Malte Grunert and actor Daniel Brühl. Amusement Park previously made All Quiet on the Western Front, which went on to win four Academy Awards, on locations in and around Prague in 2021.
The Berlinoir graphic novels, written by Tobias O. Meißner and illustrated by Reinhard Kleist, are set in an alternate-timeline Berlin where fascist vampires reign. The first novel, released in 2013, unfolds as a political thriller, featuring a rising resistance against the tyrannical rule of vampire overlords who exploit the living in blood factories akin to concentration camps.
The series delves into themes of totalitarianism, resistance, and the struggle for freedom amidst an oppressive regime reminiscent of classic German cinema, referencing works like Fritz Lang’s M and Metropolis. Kleist’s illustrations draw inspiration from the art of George Grosz. Three Berlinoir graphic novels have been released to date through German publisher Edition 52.
City of Night has been filming on locations in and around Prague since March. The series is slated to shoot by the city center’s Lannova park later next week, and will also film on Czech locations outside Prague later next month.
Cast and crew involved with City of Night have yet to be officially announced. According to unofficial information at Filmmakers Europe, the series is directed by Philipp Kadelbach, who previously filmed We Children from Bahnhof Zoo in Prague, and stars Melika Foroutan, who recently shot the second season of The Empress in the Czech capital.
In 2018, Variety had reported that German filmmaker Dennis Gansel (The Wave, Mechanic: Resurrection) was attached to direct the series, but a lot can change in six years. Gansel previously filmed episodes for the latest season of the German series Das Boot in Prague last year. At that time, the script for City of Night was credited to Jayson Rothwell (Polar).
Local production on City of Night is handled by Sirena Film, who worked with Amusement Park on All Quiet on the Western Front and also coordinated the Czech production of recent feature films One Life and The Promised Land.
The German Motion Picture fund lists The Walt Disney Company as the distributor for City of Night, indicating that the series may be destined to premiere on Disney+. A release date is TBA but could come at some point in 2025 based on the production schedule.
Lead photo: Cover of Berlinoir (2013) via Facebook / Edition 52
One Response
Pretty sure I saw them filming this in Vrsovice back in April. They couldn’t tell me the name of it but said it was a German vampire series.