Where Was 1899 Filmed? Netflix Show Filming Locations Revealed
Netflix has had tons of success when it comes to the development of international TV shows and movies. La Casa De Papel, Squid Game, and other shows originating outside of the US caught the world by storm. Now, a new show, called 1899, is about to premiere, developed by the creators of another awesome German Netflix show, Dark. So, where was 1899 filmed?
Seeing that the creators of 1899 are also the creators of the German Netflix show Dark, 1899 was also filmed in Germany, in Studio Babelsberg, just outside of Berlin. Parts of the series were also shot in London, UK, as the plot revolves around a migrant ship traveling from London to New York, US.
The show hasn’t premiered on the platform yet, so the information about all the filming locations potentially aren’t complete yet, but it’s safe to say that most of the series was filmed in London and Berlin. On that note, here’s everything else we know about 1899, how (and if) it relates to Dark, and more.
What is 1899 about?
As I’ve mentioned, 1899 is a show created by Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar, the people behind the show Dark – one of the most popular and most successful Netflix international series ever created. Friese and Odar are well-known for their mysterious, mind-bending stories, and 1899 will be no different.
The show is classified as a period drama mixed with an epic, supernatural horror mystery. It follows a group of European migrants who leave London on a steamship in hopes of finding a better life for themselves on the East Coast, namely, in New York City. However, during their trip, things take a bad turn when they encounter yet another ship on the open waters.
The official Netflix synopsis states:
“1899. A migrant steamship heads west to leave the old continent. The passengers, a mixed bag of European origins, united by their hopes and dreams for the new century and their future abroad.
But their journey takes an unexpected turn when they discover another migrant ship adrift on the open sea. What they will find on board will turn their passage to the promised land into a horrifying nightmare.”
Since the show hasn’t officially premiered yet, we don’t know where that plot will take us, but if 1899 is anything like Dark, it will likely be full of twists, turns, bends, and mysteries.
On September 12, 2022, the first two episodes premiered at the 47th Toronto International Film Festival, and the initial reactions were phenomenal, as seen by the 9.2/10 IMDb rating before the show even officially premiered on Netflix.
Where was 1899 filmed?
The first season of 1899 hasn’t premiered yet, so we still don’t know all the filming locations, but two have already been disclosed by the showrunners. The first – and main – filming location is Studio Babelsberg, right outside of Berlin, Germany. The studio also included a new virtual production studio called Volume, likely used for the open sea scenes.
The second disclosed location is London, United Kingdom, which makes sense since the migrant steamship is setting sail from London to New York. Also, one of the showrunners, bo Odar, revealed on Instagram that a London-based company called Framestore is in charge of the VFX and other visual effects for the series.
Is 1899 related to Dark?
As soon as you see the cover poster for 1899 and compare it to the poster for Dark, you can see just how similar they are. That made many fans wonder if the two shows are connected in any way. Well, unfortunately for Dark fans, the shows are not connected in any way in terms of the plot, characters, or any other in-series elements.
They are, however, connected with the creators, writers, and producers, as the same team behind Dark is now working on 1899. Also, the shows are connected with the fact that they are multilingual and have several fleming locations that match. 1899 takes linguistics a step further, as every character speaks their own native language.
Other than that, the shows are unrelated. On that note, the showrunners shared their thoughts:
“We don’t repeat ourselves, we really hate that, but it’s going to be a fun puzzle for the audience. We are going back to our mystery roots. All the passengers on the ship are traveling with secrets that they don’t want to get out. It’s built like a puzzle again. Knowing that we did Dark, everyone can be assured that this is going to be something weird and wild and crazy.”
Will 1899 be in German?
This is likely the question that everyone would like to know; seeing that the creators are the same team that was behind Dark – which was in German – will 1899 be in German as well?
Not only will 1899 have parts and segments in German, but they’ll take it a step further with a melting pot of cultures, staying authentic to each character’s native history and language. Hence, every migrant on the ship will speak their native language. As Odar and Friese shared:
“Being true to the cultures and the languages was really important, we never wanted to have characters from different countries, but everyone speaks English, We wanted to explore this heart of Europe, where everyone comes from somewhere else and speaks a different language, and language defines so much of your culture and your behavior.
We just had a reading, partly on zoom, partly with actors who are here [in Germany], and it was such an amazing experience to hear everyone speak in their language, going from Spanish to French to Polish, and have it all come together. I hope it’s going to make English-speaking people learn and love different languages as well.”
Hence, 1899 will not only be in German, but also in English, Spanish, French, Polish, and potentially even more European languages, depending on the characters and their ethnicity.
