If you like Carnival Row‘s costume design, please follow Denise Haywood Costume, who was part of Joanna Eatwell’s team in season 1 and regularly shares fascinating close-ups and BTS pictures of the costumes.
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.
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.
Composer Nathan Barr
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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”.
“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.”
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:
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?
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.
According to Gold Derby, Amazon Prime have listed their submissions for their comedy, drama and limited series in the run for an Emmy Award. Among the submitted titles and names are Carnival Row (in the Drama Series category) and Andrew Gower as Supporting Actor.
Of course, a submission is far from a nomination (or a win) but it’s an important first step and we are more than happy and proud to read Andrew’s name in the company of all these other distinguished talents.
In a video message posted on his Instagram account actor Orlando Bloom, who plays PI Rycroft Philostrat on Carnival Row, announced today that the show’s production would shut down for an unknown amount of time. Bloom, who is also an Executive Producer on the show, explained that this was to allow cast and crew to return home to self-quarantine amid the current coronavirus crisis.
It’s farewell from us as we go home to be quarantined. But we’re coming home to the States, at least I’m coming home to the States, because we want to get in before the quarantine. Big love everybody, stay safe out there! Self-quarantine. It seems really crazy actually this whole corona thing but do the right thing by you and your family and stay safe. In a few weeks, we’ll beat this bad boy.
The news come as a 30-day ban on anyone travelling from Europe to the USA has been put into effect, with only flights from the UK allowed into the country for now.
We can only second Orlando Bloom’s words and hope that all of Andrew Gower‘s fans stay safe and healthy during this difficult time. 🤞
ETA (14 March 2020):
Orlando Bloom has now added the following statement to his InstaStory in response to comments by concerned fans:
After filming season 2 of Carnival Row so far took place in Prague and Liberec (Czech Republic / CzechWalks.com), production of the fantasy noir series will now move to Dubrovnik (Croatia) later this month for 10 days.
It is unclear at this point how these locations fit into the plot for season 2 but it might be connected to the Spurnrose storyline which last saw Imogen (Tamzin Merchant) and her lover Agreus (David Gyasi) flee the city of The Burgue from her brother Ezra’s (Andrew Gower) wrath.
ETA (6 March 2020):
Today Dubrovački Vjesnik run an article about a couple of people who showed up for the audition to become extras on the new season of Carnival Row. They also revealed that the show will film in Croatia from 29 March to 8 April.
Pictured above is the Liberec Town Hall, a Neo-Renaissance building from the late 19th century, which fits in nicely with the series Neo-Victorian theme.
Further scenes were apparently shot in the nearby town of Turnov at a depot for steam engines.
After production had been halted for a few weeks following the change in showrunners later last year, it is now back on track with filming resumed at the Barrandov Studios and on location in Prague.
The event will take place from 24 – 26 July 2020 at Olympia London. Andrew will only attend on Saturday, 25 July, and he’ll be joined by fellow Carnival Row actor Simon McBurney (Runyan Millworthy) with more announcements expected soon.
Tickets for the event are on sale here, and you can buy photo op tickets for Andrew as well.
The official Carnival Row accounts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook have confirmed that the production of Season 2 of the Amazon Prime series is back on track again with this video.
Even though, Andrew Gower doesn’t appear in the video, he is confirmed to reprise his role as Ezra Spurnrose and will probably be seen hunting his fugitive sister Imogen (Tamzin Merchant) and her forbidden lover Agreus (David Gyasi) in the new season.
Nathan Barr released a teaser of the soundtrack for Carnival Row on his personal Instagram page along with the information that the soundtrack will officially be released in only three days’ time on Friday, 8 November 2019!
You can find links to order and download the soundtrack from select digital stores here!
Read this interview with the composer where he talks about using “unusual” instruments like a rare Wurlitzer organ and the sound of a human femur in his creation of the beautifully haunting score for the Victorian noir series.
“Better known in the UK as a political columnist, author and activist, the Daily Telegraph once called her ‘without doubt the loudest and most controversial female voice on the radical left.’ ” Recently Penny moved to Hollywood to work on television and her credits include Joss Whedon‘s upcoming HBO show The Nevers.
Executive Story Editor is a crew position for a writer in American television. It is a more senior position to Story Editor. […] The responsibilities are similar to that of a story editor. They assist the writing staff in breaking stories up for the season and edit stories and screenplays written for a show.
Also joining the ranks as an executive producer this season is Cara Delevingne, who plays “pansexual fairy” Vignette Stonemoss on the Victorian noir series.
Andrew Gower Online 