Netflix's 1899 comes from the creators of Dark, so we can surely expect something very unique. Showrunners Friese and Odar gave a few hints at the overall direction of the series, albeit without any time travel: “We don't repeat ourselves, we really hate that, but it's going to be a fun puzzle for the audience
A group of European migrants leave London on a steamship to start new lives in New York City. But when they encounter another migrant ship adrift on the open sea, their journey begins to turn into a nightmare.
Development
On November 13, 2018, it was announced that Dark creators Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar were developing the project for Netflix under their overall deal at the streaming service. The series was confirmed to be moving forward two weeks later during a Netflix press conference showcasing European original programming. By July 2020, bo Odar revealed via Instagram that Friese had completed writing the script for the pilot episode. During an interview with Deadline Hollywood, Friese explained how the European migrant crisis and Brexit were influential to the series, saying:
The whole European angle was very important for us, not only story wise but also the way we were going to produce it. It really had to be a European collaboration, not just cast but also crew. We felt that with the past years of Europe being on the decline, we wanted to give a counterpoint to Brexit, and to nationalism rising in different countries, to go back to that idea of Europe and Europeans working and creating together. 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 behaviour.
Casting
On December 16, 2020, it was announced that Emily Beecham was cast in the lead role. On May 2, 2021, Aneurin Barnard, Andreas Pietschmann, Miguel Bernardeau, Maciej Musiał, Anton Lesser, Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen, Rosalie Craig, Clara Rosager, Maria Erwolter, Yann Gael, Mathilde Ollivier, José Pimentão, Isabella Wei, Gabby Wong, Jonas Bloquet, Fflyn Edwards, and Alexandre Willaume were added to the cast, with each character speaking in the actors' native languages.
Filming
Pre-production for the series officially commenced on November 24, 2020, with a week-long lens test shoot taking place The series was initially scheduled to begin principal photography on February 1, 2021, but was later pushed back by 3 months. Filming officially began on May 3, 2021, outside Berlin, Germany. The series shot in Studio Babelsberg and a new virtual production studio Volume, which is operated by bo Odar and Friese's sister company Dark Bay. Filming also took place in London, United Kingdom. Creative studio Framestore will provide visual effects for the series.
