Production on Netflix‘s adaptation of Dan Brown‘s The Secret of Secrets is set to begin on the streets of Prague next week, ahead of Dan Brown’s announcement that principal photography would start in September. The series, which stars Morgan Spector as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, is preparing to film extensively in the Czech capital, where much of Brown’s latest novel is set.
According to documentation filed with Prague 1, areas in the vicinity Old Town Square have been reserved for production vehicles beginning Aug. 19 through the second week of September. Additional production activity is planned in the historic center in other areas of Old Town in the last week of August and first week of September.
The Secret of Secrets is operating under a working title during its production in Prague, and has been registered with the Czech Audiovisual Fund under this title. Stillking Films is coordinating local production.
The activity precedes the start of filming announced by Brown himself. In a Facebook post, the bestselling author confirmed that Netflix will begin filming the approximately eight-hour series in Prague in September, with Czech media subsequently reporting that cameras are expected to begin rolling around Charles Bridge at the start of next month.
Netflix prepares for high-profile Prague shoot
Documentation filed with Prague 1 indicates that production vehicles will begin appearing in the Old Town area from Aug. 19. Further reservations have been made in the historic center in areas including Náměstí Republiky during the final week of August and the first week of September.
The series will use Prague as itself rather than as a stand-in for another European city, a particularly significant aspect of the production given Brown’s close connection to the Czech capital.
The novel opens in Prague, where Langdon attends a lecture by Katherine Solomon, a scientist and researcher with whom he has developed a romantic relationship. Solomon is working on a manuscript exploring human consciousness when a violent incident sets the story in motion. Her disappearance, along with the manuscript, sends Langdon through Prague’s historic center before the narrative eventually expands to other international locations.
Locations featured in Brown’s novel include Charles Bridge, the Klementinum, Petřín and the former Jewish quarter of Josefov. While Netflix has not confirmed which locations will appear on screen, the production’s preparations in central Prague point to substantial location work, and action can be expected to follow the novel.
The series is being developed by Brown and Carlton Cuse, with Cuse serving as showrunner and writer. Emma Forman and Zoe Robyn are also executive producing. Netflix ordered the project straight to series in 2025, several months before The Secret of Secrets was published.
Morgan Spector leads new Langdon adaptation
Spector was officially announced as the new Robert Langdon in July, taking over the role previously played by Tom Hanks in three feature films. The actor is best known for his role as railroad magnate George Russell on HBO’s The Gilded Age, and also recently appeared in Netflix’s Black Rabbit.
The actor’s real-life wife Rebecca Hall has now been confirmed to play Katherine Solomon, Langdon’s scientist colleague and romantic partner.
The new series will be the second television adaptation of a Langdon novel after Peacock’s The Lost Symbol, which starred Ashley Zukerman as a younger version of the character and ran for one season in 2021. Hanks previously portrayed Langdon in The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons and Inferno, directed by Ron Howard. Those three films collectively grossed approximately $2.24 billion worldwide.
Unlike the earlier movies, the Netflix adaptation will have substantially more screen time to explore Brown’s latest story. Cuse has described the project as an eight-hour adaptation, arguing that the longer format provides room for the novel’s combination of thriller elements, scientific ideas, historical mysteries and romance.
The Prague production comes during another busy year for the Czech capital’s film industry. Apple TV+’s Foundation has wrapped filming its fourth season in the city, while Prague production on the streamer’s new MonsterVerse series Birdwatcher is currently underway. Other major projects filmed in Prague this year include the John le Carré adaptation Legacy of Spies and Martin Scorsese’s What Happens at Night.
For the Czech production sector, The Secret of Secrets is notable not only for its scale but also for the opportunity to present Prague as a central setting in a globally recognized franchise. Brown’s novel is deeply tied to the city’s architecture, history and legends, and the decision to film substantial portions locally could make Prague a prominent on-screen location rather than simply a production base.
A release date has yet to be announced for the series. With production beginning next week and expected to run through the end of the year, one of Prague’s most closely watched productions of 2026 is now moving into its next phase.
Lead image: Morgan Spector in Pearson (2019) / Prague’s Old Town Square courtesy DepositPhotos.com. Montage: The Prague Reporter
