New Blade Runner TV miniseries begins filming in Prague
Blade Runner 2099, the upcoming Amazon Prime Video television sequel to the 1982 and 2017 films of the same franchise, has started shooting in Prague. US actress Hunter Schafer and Malaysian Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh are among the big names known to be filming in the Czech capital. I caught up with Czech Radio film critic Kristina Roháčková to find out what else is currently known about the production.
Blade Runner 2099 has just started filming in Prague. Where concretely is it being filmed?
“As far as we know, they are mostly shooting indoors because it's about a dystopian future, so you can't find many suitable outdoor locations for that in Prague. I think the plan is to shoot mostly in the Barrandov studios, and it's going to use basically the full capacity so I'm not sure if anyone else is going to be able to use it.”
You might expect period dramas or war movies to be filmed here, but as you mentioned, it's hard to film a dystopian sci-fi series outside in Prague. So why did they pick Prague if they're just going to film in a studio?
“There are the (financial) film incentives, which are a way of persuading foreign filmmakers to use Prague and other Czech regions and cities for their film locations. There is also the very important matter of Czech facilities and Czech workers and film staff, because we are known outside of the Czech Republic as very capable and good at craftsmanship - the "golden Czech hands", as we say. Barrandov studios also has a great reputation.”
Do you know if there were any other locations being considered?
“They were also considering Belfast as far as I know.”
Do you have any idea what tipped it in Prague's favour in the end?
“I think it was a money issue, and then also the matter of the Hollywood strikes that were going on. As you know, there is big money when it comes to filmmaking so I think someone might have suggested Prague and made a good offer and someone was persuaded. There's something called the Czech Film Fund and the Czech Film Commission which is kind of like an information centre that goes to film festivals and says, 'Look, we have these beautiful locations and the Barrandov studios. You can use it, this is what we offer, this is the rate of our film incentives.' And then it's mostly on the local and foreign film producers who basically talk to each other and settle the deal.”
Is the entire thing being filmed in Prague or are any parts being filmed elsewhere?
“There is obviously a lot of hush and secrecy around the filming process. We don't really know anything about the plot - what we know is all based on the little snippets that got out in the media. I think we can say that most of it is going to be filmed in Prague's Barrandov studios and some exteriors in the capital.”
Do you know how long the filming is expected to take and how much it's expected to cost?
“We know it's going to take the rest of the year, so until December. And the expected budget at this time is suppose to be over CZK 1 billion.”
