Netflix brought us Stranger Things. Then it brought us Dark. Both of these are major sci-fi dystopian drama series set in a suburban setting. But while one is set entirely in the past, the other goes beyond that and explores how the past, present, and future can co-exist and influence each other simultaneously. Both of these series have something else in common as well. They are reflective of how illegal scientific experiments can disrupt otherwise peaceful lives bringing the children of the town at the center of it all.
Dark was created by German writer Jantje Frieser and directed by Baran bo Odar. The visionary writer-director duo now brings us another German multilingual epic period mystery-horror series — 1899. The series is set to debut on Netflix in late 2022.
1899: A Period Mystery Horror Series
The new series brought to us by the creators of Dark will focus on a group of immigrants who are traveling from Europe struggling to reach New York by ship at the turn of the 20th century. Since the plot focuses on immigrants from Europe, the cast will be multilingual and feature a lot of familiar faces, courtesy of the popular Netflix original series Elite and Dark.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, the plot of the series will find a diverse pool of immigrants, all from different backgrounds and nationalities, united by their singular hopes and dreams of reaching the new world. But the voyage takes a turn for the worse when under mysterious circumstances, they find a second ship adrift on the sea, which they soon discover had gone missing for months, and “their voyage to the promised land becomes a journey into a nightmare“.
First Look of Netflix’s “1899” Revealed on Instagram
In an eerie, non-verbal, visually stunning period setting, the 1899 teaser has been revealed by creator Baran bo Odar. The background is only accented by a Morse code which remains to be deciphered. The visuals from the teaser gradually shift from solitary flashes of the series characters to a more urgent, and chilling visuals of riot, conflict, desperation, and drama.
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The series cast includes Emily Beecham (English actress, Little Joe), Aneurin Barnard (Welsh actor, The Goldfinch), Andreas Pietschmann (German actor, Dark), and Miguel Bernardeau (Spanish actor, Elite), among others. The entirety of 1899 will be shot in Studio Babelsberg outside Berlin with the aid of new cutting-edge LED-Volume technology. The studio is owned by Dark Bay, which was set up by Dark creators Jantje Frieser and Baran bo Odar with backing from Netflix.
Also read: The Direct