Canal+ political drama begins filming in Czech Republic, Slovakia and Ukraine
Parts of Moloch will be filmed in wartorn Ukraine
Canal+ is working on a three-part political thriller set after the assassination of the president of the Czech Republic that will be filmed in parts of Ukraine impacted by the Russian invasion.
Moloch (3×55′) is set in the contemporary world of politics and secret service intrigue in Central Europe and will debut on Canal+’s streaming service in the Czech Republic and Slovakia in spring 2025.
It follows an experienced investigative journalist who teams up with a young independent online investigator as they embark on a dangerous search for the truth. The cast will be led by Miroslav Donutil, Jan Révai, Eliza Rycembel and Daria Plakhtii.
Produced by Czech prodco Bionaut and Slovakia’s Raketa, it marks the second original from Canal+ in the Czech Republic after the miniseries, Daughter of the Nation.
It is also being supported by Eurimages’ programme for series coproductions, the Czech Film Fund’s incentives programme and the Slovak Audiovisual Fund’s support programme for the audiovisual industry. Production services are provided by Bionaut Works.
Filming began in the Czech Republic in July and will continue until the end of October in Slovakia and Ukraine.
Kateryna Vyshnevska, the former head of development and coproductions at Ukrainian producer Film.UA who left the company after 15 years last year, is on board the project as a co-operating producer alongside Jakub Košťál.
Vyshnevska told C21 the producers chose to film the parts of the series set in Ukraine in war-torn Ukraine, rather than another European country, to support the Ukrainian industry and give the series “an extra layer of authenticity.”
Lada Dobrkovská, producer for Canal+ in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, said the series reflects the “current political situation in Europe.” Moloch is not to be confused with the French drama of the same name, which premiered on Arte in 2020.
Screenwriter Štefan Titka (Mamon), who co-created the miniseries concept with producer Vratislav Šlajer and director Lukáš Hanulák, said: “The topicality of our thrilling story is underscored by recent tragic events, such as attacks on US presidential candidate Donald Trump and the assassination attempt on Slovak prime minister Robert Fico.”
“Our aim is to provide a deeper societal and moral context to such incidents through our story, but Moloch will primarily be an intense thriller with surprising revelations, inspired by our favourite political thrillers from the 1970s and 1980s.”
Hanulák, director and producer for Raketa, said the project is the first series from Central Europe to receive support from Eurimages’ fledgling programme for series coproductions.
