Christopher Vourlias Croatian-Ukrainian crime drama “The Silence,” whose first season sold wide last year for Munich-based Beta Film, is heading to Kyiv for Season 2, Variety can reveal.
The series is based on the critically acclaimed fact-based books by investigative journalist Drago Hedl that examine human and weapons trafficking throughout Eastern Europe.
The first season spent 25 days shooting in the Ukrainian capital. Season 2 will return for three days and be directed remotely, due to the security risk, but will shoot several scenes featuring key Ukrainian cast, including star Kseniya Mishina, as well as some establishing shots.
Production in Kyiv is due to wrap Feb. 25. Nebojša Taraba of Zagreb-based production company Drugi Plan, which produces the show alongside Croatian broadcaster HRT in collaboration with Beta Film, said the producers had no choice but to give the script for Season 2 a rewrite in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “’The Silence’ is a contemporary story, based on three novels which are also based on true events, and we simply couldn’t stay with the planned storyline,” said Taraba. “We wanted to keep the structure of our story, but the war became the backdrop of this season.” Season 2 begins in Nov.
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