Filming on What Happens at Night, the upcoming Martin Scorsese drama starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, has continued in the Czech Republic with a new location shoot outside Prague.
According to Czech tabloid Blesk, production recently took place at Château Kotěra in Ratboř near Kolín, roughly 60 kilometers east of the capital. Photos published by the outlet show DiCaprio and Lawrence in costume on the grounds of the historic estate as the film’s Czech shoot moves beyond its initial locations in Prague.
The project marks the latest collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio, whose long-running creative partnership has produced some of the most notable American films of the past two decades. Based on the novel by American writer Peter Cameron, What Happens at Night features a cast that also includes Mads Mikkelsen, Patricia Clarkson, and Jared Harris.
Filming at Chateau Kotěra near Kolín
The Ratboř shoot took place at Chateau Kotěra, a historic property that previously operated as a hotel and now serves as a distinctive architectural landmark in the Central Bohemian countryside. The estate and surrounding grounds were temporarily transformed for the production, with artificial snow covering the driveway and nearby vehicles to create a winter setting consistent with the story.
According to Blesk, the production base occupied a football field opposite the château, where trailers and support facilities for the crew were set up during the shoot. Local residents reportedly saw the arrival of the international production as a major event for the small community.
The photos published by the outlet provide the first look at the film’s lead actors in character. DiCaprio appears with darker hair, glasses, and a mustache, a noticeably different look from his recent roles. The appearance recalls the style of Joaquin Phoenix’s character in the 2013 science-fiction romance Her.
Lawrence was also photographed on location in costume, accompanied by a security team. According to the tabloid report, both actors moved between set and production areas in vehicles under heavy security, limiting opportunities for the public to see them up close.
Scenes at Ratboř were reportedly filmed over three days. While it has not been officially confirmed how the château will appear in the finished film, the property’s historic architecture and secluded setting align closely with the mysterious European hotel that serves as the central location in Cameron’s novel.
The Chateau Kotěra location has previously been utilized for film productions in the Czech Republic, including the Matthew Weiner series The Romanoffs, starring Christina Hendricks and Diane Lane.
Expanding production across Prague and Czech locations
The Ratboř shoot follows earlier filming activity connected to What Happens at Night in Prague itself. Production began in late February with a brief shoot at the W Prague hotel on Wenceslas Square, the newly restored landmark formerly known as the Grand Hotel Europa.
Because the novel’s story centers largely on a hotel, the interiors of the Art Nouveau property have been speculated to serve as inspiration or a stand-in for the story’s central location. The building’s ornate interiors and historic atmosphere have previously made it attractive to filmmakers; parts of the original Mission: Impossible were filmed there, and its dining room has been cited as an inspiration for the famous restaurant scene in Titanic.
Local reports have also suggested that a substantial portion of the production will take place in studio, where interior sets replicating the novel’s mysterious hotel are expected to be constructed. Additional exterior filming in Prague’s historic center is also anticipated.
If the film closely follows Cameron’s source novel, the story will take place in an isolated, snowbound European town. In the narrative, an American couple travels abroad hoping to adopt a child and checks into an enigmatic hotel filled with unusual guests, including a singer, a merchant, and a healer. As the couple waits for news about the adoption, their sense of reality gradually begins to unravel.
The project has drawn particular attention because it represents the eighth collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio, whose previous films together include Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Killers of the Flower Moon.
Their partnership is widely considered one of the most significant director-actor collaborations in contemporary American cinema. Over more than two decades, their films have explored themes of psychological obsession, moral ambiguity, and the unraveling of identity—elements that also appear to resonate with the tone of Cameron’s novel.
The production is also being closely watched within the Czech film industry. Large international projects filming in the country are seen as a sign that recent reforms to the Czech audiovisual incentive system are beginning to attract major productions again.
While official details about the film’s Czech budget and incentive support have not been disclosed, the scale of the production and the presence of high-profile talent have already generated significant attention locally. As filming continues across Prague and surrounding locations, the Czech Republic is temporarily serving as the backdrop for what could become one of the most closely watched film projects currently in production.
Leonardo DiCaprio at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival courtesy DepositPhotos.com | Chateau Kotěra and montage: The Prague Reporter
