The untitled Prime Video spy series starring Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham that has been filming in Prague since January now has an official title: Ride or Die. The creative team behind the series as well as additional cast members including Bill Nighy, Ed Skrein, and Sylvia Hoeks have also been revealed in a recent report in Variety.
Ride or Die is the latest big-budget international TV project to take to the streets of Prague following Blade Runner 2099, which wrapped in December, the second season of Interview with the Vampire, and multiple seasons of Foundation and The Wheel of Time. Prague production for the six-episode series is slated to run through June, and so far has made extensive use of locations throughout the Czech capital.
Created by Tessa Coates, Ride or Die follows Judith (Waddingham), a highly skilled assassin whose secret life is thrown into disarray when a mission goes awry. Her best friend Debbie (Spencer), who knew nothing of Judith’s dangerous profession, is dragged into a web of intrigue and danger as the pair attempt to stay ahead of a mysterious enemy.
Bill Nighy, Ed Skrein join the cast
The cast of Ride or Die has become even more impressive with the addition of Nighy, who will play The Director. An Oscar-nominated actor best known for his work in Love Actually and the Underworld, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Harry Potter franchises, along with recent films such as Living and The First Omen, Nighy has already been spotted by fans on the streets of the Czech capital.
Joining Nighy are Ed Skrein (Deadpool, The Transporter Refueled, Rebel Moon) as Billy Donovan, and Sylvia Hoeks (Blade Runner 2049) as Ana. Calam Lynch (Bridgerton, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) will play Sam, Jamie Parker (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) has been cast as David, and Savannah Steyn (House of the Dragon) will feature as Queenie.
Additional plot details for the series are still being kept under wraps. Alongside the cast, other members of the creative team behind Ride or Die have also been revealed, including showrunner Matt Miller and director Peyton Reed, who will helm the first two episodes.
Reed is best known for his work in the MCU, serving as director on Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Miller’s credits include the Lethal Weapon TV series, as well as other high-profile series such as Chuck and Peacemaker.
Coates, Ride or Die‘s creator, serves as an executive producer alongside Spencer and Waddingham and Andy and Barbara Muschietti’s Double Dream. The series is also backed by Skydance Television.
Contemporary Prague takes the spotlight
Filming for Ride or Die began in Prague earlier this year, and the city has quickly become a prominent backdrop for the action, with location filming taking place in various areas of the city center including areas of Old Town, New Town, Vinohrady, and Žižkov. Location production is coordinated by Stillking Films.
Last month, a large-scale action scene was shot on Prague’s Rohanské nábřeží street, a primary thoroughfare through the Karlín neighborhood, which was closed to all traffic over a weekend to accommodate production on Ride or Die.
This week, Ride or Die is filming at locations around bustling Dlouhá street in the city center, a popular destination for tourists lined with bars, clubs, and restaurants. Areas of Dlouhá, Haštalská, Hradební, and Revoluční streets are reserved for production equipment through the end of the week. Later this month, filming will take place on Prague’s Kampa Island.
Prague typically plays other locations in high-profile international locations, including 1940s Paris in Interview with the Vampire and futuristic Los Angeles in Blade Runner 2099. The contemporary setting of Ride or Die, however, hints that the Czech capital may be playing itself in the series.
Over the years, the Czech capital has hosted a number of high-profile international productions, but only rarely plays itself on screen. Memorable depictions in films such as the first Mission: Impossible movie, xXx, and the recent The Gray Man have been the exception to the rule, but Ride or Die might be the latest to join that list.
Lead photo: Bill Nighy at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival (Wikimedia / Harald Krichel), Ed Skrein at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival (Wikimedia / Gordon Correll)
