Author: Bella

Filming season 2 of Carnival Row has been on hiatus for almost 2 months now due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and several of the show’s cast and crew have replied to fans’ concerns about the future of the show.

In an Instagram live video in support of his charity challenge for Tearfund (in which he is raising money for people living in poverty to help them deal with the effects of the corona virus) David Gyasi (who plays wealthy puck Mr Agreus) explained:

We were very close to finishing season 2 before the lockdown happened and then it was deemed that we needed to be safe. So before the lockdown, we all flew home to be with our families. I think the plan is very much to resume once we’re able to and get season 2 out to you all as quickly as possible. Thank you all for your patience.

(Source: David Gyasi on Instagram)

If you want to support David Gyasi, please check out his JustGiving page or you can participate by joining #TheClimb challenge!

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In a recent interview with Film Music Magazine, composer Nathan Barr revealed the following:

Carnival Row was only part way into shooting season 2 and did not have enough completed on any one episode to move forward into post when everything ground to a halt in March.

Read the full interview and what he had to say about composing the iconic score for Carnival Row on his Wurlitzer theatre organ.

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Finally, Andrew Gower also mentioned where things where left off when the pandemic reached Europe:

We had 4 weeks left of [filming Carnival Row], we were just about to get to Croatia, Dubrovnik, and then Trump’s […] travel ban came in, so finishing that off hopefully when – I mean what can we say when will this end, when will travel happen again? So that’s happening, which is really exciting, the series has gone bigger and better since season 1 with Mr Bloom and Ms Delevingne.

Watch Andrew’s full interview with Toffee TV.

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Meanwhile the Czech Republic (where Carnival Row is primarily filmed) are looking at easing the severe lockdown measures, which have been in place since mid-March, after officials declared that the Covid-19 outbreak there had been brought under control. However, resuming production on Carnival Row will also require lifting international travel bans and opening borders to allow the cast and crew to return, as well as ensuring everyone’s health and safety on set. This might be a while yet.

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ETA (15 May 2020):

In his Instagram live video this morning, David Gyasi was again asked about the future of Carnival Row and he gave a more detailed answer this time:

When will Carnival Row be back on?

That’s a good question. It’s one that a lot of people are asking.

So I will reveal to you what I know. We have filmed the majority of season 2. It’s in post-production, the stuff that we filmed ready and apparently they are very excited about it. I haven’t seen any of it but the “adult”, Amazon and Legendary, are very excited about it and cannot wait to get it out to you.

There’s a hunger and a desire to get back filming because we had to stop due to the pandemic but quite rightly they’re not going to do anything until it’s safe to do so. But we will be back is what I’m told. They’re very much planning on bringing us back.

I think… you know, I don’t know… I’m hoping before the end of the year but before that… obviously you see that thing puts everything into perspective, doesn’t it? And I’m fully aware how difficult lockdown would be without our boxsets and our films and our music and our poetry and our art and all of those things.

So I’m aware of the importance of it but I’m also made blatanly aware of the importance of health, so I think: make sure everyone’s safe and so we can safely go back to work and then don’t worry, we are very keen to bring you season 2 and hopefully season 3.

(Source: David Gyasi on Instagram)

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ETA (3 June 2020):

In her recent interview with entertainment magazine Variety, Cara Delevingne also addressed the production hiatus and had to dampen fans’ expectations:

It’s been a surreal year for Delevingne, as it has been for everyone. She started the winter in Prague, filming the second season of Carnival Row, where she plays the pansexual fairy Vignette. But production shut down in March due to the coronavirus, forcing her to leave the set for her home in Los Angeles. She says that she filmed six of the eight planned episodes, but she’s not sure when the season will air. “The second season is going to be so good, but I don’t know when we’re going to finish it,” Delevingne says. “And probably not until the winter, because it has to be cold outside and snowing and miserable.”

(Source: Variety)

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ETA (30 June 2020):

Today, the EU announced a list of countries whose citizens are free to enter the EU again from 1 July after borders were locked due to the pandemic. The USA, China and Brazil, where infection rates are still high, are not on the list. As this could be problematic to Hollywood productions like Carnival Row filming in Europe (as well as European companies working on these productions), some states are willing to make exemptions for “essential workers”.

Variety quotes Pavlína Žipková, head of the Czech Film Commission:

“In relation to the EU declaring a travel ban on the U.S., please let me assure you this is not valid for economic workers but tourism travellers only. Filmmakers of all nations are welcome in the Czech Republic.”

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ETA (11 July 2020):

Apparently things are finally moving again! David Gyasi posted on his Instagram that he received a call back to work and thanked the fans for their patience:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCftFYCHJt5/

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ETA (15 July 2020):

Actor Ryan Hayes (who plays Constable Thatch) shared a picture of a nightly Prague with his followers on his Instagram. Is this a sign that the actors are already back in Prague to start completing season 2?

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ETA (15 July 2020)

Stillking Films, Carnival Row‘s production service company based in Prague, started to post daily updates in their Instagram stories about pre-production of the remaining S2 episodes. After being on hiatus for almost exactly four months, getting the whole producion machinery fired up again is taking a lot of planning and effort, especially with circumstances changed so dramatically due to the ongoing pandemic and the requirement of severe health and safety measures as some of the pictures suggest.

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