The King of Šumava: The Phantom of the Dark Land

The King of Šumava: The Phantom of the Dark Land (Czech: Král Šumavy: Fantom temného kraje) is a 2022 three-part adventure miniseries directed by David Ondříček and produced by the production company Lucky Man Films. The series was filmed under the brand Voyo Original.[1] The script was written by Tomáš Vávra and David Ondříček.[2]

The King of Šumava: The Phantom of the Dark Land
GenreAdventure Crime thriller
Directed byDavid Ondříček
StarringOskar Hes
Country of originCzech Republic
Original languageCzech
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes3
Production
Running time45 minutes
Original release
NetworkVoyo
Release9 December 2022 (9 December 2022) –
 ()

Oskar Hes, Jan Nedbal, Halka Třešňáková, Vojtěch Vodochodský, Jan Hájek, Jana Pidrmanová, Gabriela Heclová, Jan Jankovský, Kryštof Mucha, Kristýna Podzimková [cs], Judit Bárdos, Petr Forman, Denis Šafařík, Jaroslav Plesl, Jiří Zeman, Daniela Hirsch and others starred in the series.

Filming took place from March to May 2022, and the crew completed 25 filming days at locations in the Central Bohemia and Pilsen Regions as well as in South Bohemia. Among other things, filming was also done in Šumava in real locations, where the King of Šumava, Josef Hasil, worked with the border guard in the late forties and early fifties. One of the places was the so-called Valley of Death, the area between the Soumar Bridge and the state border.

The series premiered on 23 September 2022 at the Serial Killer international series festival in Brno.[3]

On 23 February 2023 Nova announced that the series was renewed for season 2[4] and season 3 each consisting of 3 episodes.[5] Shooting of season 2 and 3 started in October 2023, directed by David Ondrášek.[6]

Plot

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The main character of the series Josef Hasil is based on David Jan Žák's novel The Return of the Šumava King. The story starts in the spring of 1948, when Hasil works in the kitchen of the National Security Corps in Zvonková as a cook. He is twenty-four years old. He experienced the war in a German labor camp and among partisans. He is not interested in politics at all, but the rapidly closing borders, the fear of the World War III and his ability to transfer through the Šumava mountains from East to West predestined him to become a smuggler. David Jan Žák's novel is based on Hasil's memories, eyewitness accounts and archive documents.[7]

Cast

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Episodes

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No. in
series
Title Directed by Written by Original air date Czech viewers
(millions)
1"Hranice (Border)"David OndříčekTomáš Vávra, David OndříčekDecember 9, 2022 (2022-12-09)N/A
2"Most (Bridge)"David OndříčekTomáš Vávra, David OndříčekDecember 16, 2022 (2022-12-16)N/A
3"Nevěsta (Bride)"David OndříčekTomáš Vávra, David OndříčekDecember 23, 2022 (2022-12-23)N/A

Reception

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Series was nominated for Czech Lion Award in categories Best Television Film or Miniseries and Best Music.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Exkluzivní tvorba vydaná pod značkou Voyo". voyo.nova.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Padla první klapka Krále Šumavy pro Voyo! Zahraje si v něm i autor knižní předlohy". tv.nova.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  3. ^ Aust, Ondřej (19 September 2022). "Festival Serial Killer se zaměří na Švédsko, zahájí ho sitcom ČT Dobré ráno, Brno!". Médiář. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  4. ^ Hloušková, Lenka. "Miroslav Donutil jako lovec duchů. Kriminálky z Chorvatska. Nova představila své plány". novinky.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Voyo chystá seriály Vědma, Za domem v lese nebo nové díly Krále Šumavy". MediaGuru.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  6. ^ Hermanová, Milena (11 October 2023). "Máte se na co těšit! TV Nova natáčí rovnou 2 další řady úspěšného temného seriálu!". Aplausin.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Ondříček točí pro Voyo Originál minisérii Král Šumavy". MediaGuru.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  8. ^ "Nominace na Českého lva odtajněny: Král Šumavy skóruje ve dvou kategoriích". tv.nova.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 26 February 2023.
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