{ "id": "epymerq8am", "slug": "1899-2022-film", "title": "1899 (2022 film)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy", "label": "Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-6", "label": "Science fiction and fantasy films of the 2020s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-6" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-6.science-fiction-films-of-the-2020s", "label": "Science fiction films of the 2020s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-6.science-fiction-films-of-the-2020s" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-6.science-fiction-films-of-the-2020s.alpha-symbols-to-l", "label": "Titles symbols to L", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-6.science-fiction-films-of-the-2020s.alpha-symbols-to-l" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy", "label": "Western Europe · 2021 and later: Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy", "path": [ { "id": "geo.weu", "label": "Western Europe", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021", "label": "Western Europe · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy", "label": "Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy" } ] } ], "excerpt": "1899 (2022) is a German Netflix mystery sci-fi series by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, creators of Dark, following the migrant steamship Kerberos; eight episodes, €60m budget, cancelled January 2023.", "snippet": "1899 (2022) is a German Netflix mystery sci-fi series by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, creators of Dark, following the migrant steamship Kerberos; eight episodes, €60m budget, cancelled January 2023.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.science-fiction-fantasy.science-fiction-and-fantasy-films-of-the-6.science-fiction-films-of-the-2020s.alpha-symbols-to-l", "markdown": "# 1899 (2022 film)\n\n**1899** is a German mystery science-fiction television series released on Netflix on 17 November 2022, created, written, and produced by [Baran bo Odar](https://www.edgepedia.org/baran-bo-odar) and [Jantje Friese](https://www.edgepedia.org/jantje-friese) as their follow-up to the series *[Dark](https://www.edgepedia.org/dark-tv-series)* (2017–2020)[1](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/1899) • [2](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/1899-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmda5mzc5). Although the requested title calls it a film, every source describes it as an eight-episode streaming series produced by the couple's company Dark Ways[1](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/1899). It follows a migrant steamship bound for New York whose passengers encounter a second adrift migrant ship, and it was canceled after one season in January 2023[3](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/80214497) • [4](https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/media/5902/mm84web_new.pdf).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Format | Eight episodes of roughly 49 to 61 minutes, released 17 November 2022 on Netflix[2](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/1899-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmda5mzc5) |\n| Creators | Baran bo Odar (director) and Jantje Friese (writer-producer), through their outfit Dark Ways[1](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/1899) |\n| Premise | The steamship Kerberos, carrying European emigrants to New York in 1899, finds its sister ship Prometheus adrift after four months missing[3](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/80214497) • [5](https://theartsdesk.com/tv/1899-netflix-review-atlantic-voyage-turns-cosmic-nightmare) |\n| Budget | €60 million, of which Netflix contributed €48 million, making it Germany's most expensive television production to date[6](https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/media/2464/mm84web_new.pdf) |\n| Production method | Shot almost entirely on the Dark Bay LED volume built at Studio Babelsberg near Berlin, the largest production since *The Mandalorian* to use virtual production[7](https://britishcinematographer.co.uk/supplement_posts/1899-plain-sailing-for-summerer/) |\n| Languages | A pan-European cast speaking at least seven languages among themselves, subtitled for viewers[1](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/1899) |\n| Reception | Metacritic metascore 68 (generally favorable); Rotten Tomatoes 77% from 44 reviews[8](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/1899/critic-reviews/) • [9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/1899/s01) |\n| Cancellation | Netflix declined a second season in early January 2023[4](https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/media/5902/mm84web_new.pdf) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and characters\n\nThe story is set, apparently, in the titular year aboard the transatlantic steamship Kerberos, a name taken from the guardian of Hell; its lost sister ship is the [Prometheus](https://www.edgepedia.org/prometheus), the bringer of knowledge[1](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/1899). The protagonist is Maura Franklin ([Emily Beecham](https://www.edgepedia.org/emily-beecham)), a progressive British doctor sailing to New York in search of her brother, who disappeared with the Prometheus four months earlier[1](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/1899). When a strange, constantly repeating telegraph message apparently comes from the vanished vessel, captain Eyk Larsen (Andreas Pietschmann) of the Kerberos investigates[5](https://theartsdesk.com/tv/1899-netflix-review-atlantic-voyage-turns-cosmic-nightmare).\n\nThe passengers are a mixed group of European emigrants united by their hopes for the new century, and each carries personal traumas and secrets[3](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/80214497) • [10](https://kureansiklopedi.com/en/detay/1899-series-8e6b3). Class divisions keep segments of the passengers apart, and the ship's setting invites comparison with the Titanic, which sank 13 years later[11](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/nov/17/1899-review-this-painfully-slow-sci-fi-show-is-absolutely-agonising). Few characters share a common language, and the multilingual ensemble, subtitled for viewers, is one of the show's distinctive features[1](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/1899). The cast also includes [Aneurin Barnard](https://www.edgepedia.org/aneurin-barnard) as Daniel Solace, Jonas Bloquet, Miguel Bernardeau, Anton Lesser, Maciej Musial, Mathilde Ollivier, José Pimentão, Isabella Wei, and Gabby Wong, among others[1](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/1899) • [2](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/1899-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmda5mzc5).\n\nThe series signals early that its setting is not what it seems. The first episode opens with narration about the power of the human mind to contain entire oceans, and flashes glimpses of a mysterious black pyramid protruding from what appears to be arctic snow[12](https://oll.libertyfund.org/publications/reading-room/2023-03-01-birzer-response-to-lovecraft-review-of-1899). Reviewers describe the show as maritime horror or cosmic horror that turns inward, focusing on memory and the interior lives of characters whose recollections have been altered by unknown forces[12](https://oll.libertyfund.org/publications/reading-room/2023-03-01-birzer-response-to-lovecraft-review-of-1899).\n\n## Production and virtual staging\n\nAfter the cult success of *Dark*, Netflix raised the budget for the duo's follow-up[1](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/1899). The total cost was €60 million, with €48 million from Netflix, making 1899 Germany's most expensive television production to date[6](https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/media/2464/mm84web_new.pdf).\n\n**Virtual production.** Plans for a lavish multi-location period shoot were derailed by COVID, and the production pivoted to shooting almost entirely on a virtual sound stage[7](https://britishcinematographer.co.uk/supplement_posts/1899-plain-sailing-for-summerer/). Netflix helped fund the construction of a new virtual-production facility from scratch at Studio Babelsberg near Berlin, built with Dark Ways; the resulting LED volume, called Dark Bay, went into use for the complete first season from May 2021[7](https://britishcinematographer.co.uk/supplement_posts/1899-plain-sailing-for-summerer/) • [13](https://www.dark-bay.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/DB_Announcement_210726.pdf). The set integrates a revolving stage for shots from every angle and rain rigs that merge actual rainfall with virtual oceans[14](https://www.ssoar.info/ssoar/bitstream/handle/document/98526/ssoar-2024-Grabbe_et_al-Cinematic_Images_The_Digital_Condition.pdf?isAllowed=y&lnkname=ssoar-2024-Grabbe_et_al-Cinematic_Images_The_Digital_Condition.pdf&sequence=4) • [7](https://britishcinematographer.co.uk/supplement_posts/1899-plain-sailing-for-summerer/). It was the largest production since *The Mandalorian* to shoot this way[7](https://britishcinematographer.co.uk/supplement_posts/1899-plain-sailing-for-summerer/). The team sought advice from Barry Idoine ASC, the cinematographer who had shot episodes of *The Mandalorian*, and hired the Oscar-winning company Framestore as VFX and virtual-production producers; cinematographer Nikolaus Summerer reported that the crew began with little knowledge of the technology and tested at a volume in Elstree before Dark Bay was finished[7](https://britishcinematographer.co.uk/supplement_posts/1899-plain-sailing-for-summerer/).\n\nThe virtual approach also served the show's transnational design. Its narrative moves through settings including Germany, Lebanon, China, Algeria, Denmark, and the mid-Atlantic, achieved through virtual production rather than location shooting[15](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/17496020241257808). Scholars writing on Netflix's global strategy argue that this artifice, a world that tries to be from everywhere but is ultimately from nowhere, contributed to the series' failure to capture audiences[15](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/17496020241257808).\n\n## Reception\n\nCritical response was generally favorable but divided on pacing. The season holds a Metacritic metascore of 68 and a 77% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes[8](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/1899/critic-reviews/) • [9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/1899/s01). Positive reviews praised the puzzle-box construction: Empire called it \"an intriguing, densely layered puzzle-box mystery that defies easy categorisation but somehow works,\" and The Telegraph described an expertly crafted puzzle that goes to mind-bending places from episode four on[8](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/1899/critic-reviews/). Critics repeatedly compared it to *Dark*, noting the same reliance on withheld information, a synth-heavy score, and end-of-episode montages set to modern pop songs such as [Jefferson Airplane](https://www.edgepedia.org/jefferson-airplane)'s \"White Rabbit\" and \"The Killing Moon\"[16](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/1899-review-netflix-dark) • [5](https://theartsdesk.com/tv/1899-netflix-review-atlantic-voyage-turns-cosmic-nightmare). Detractors found the pacing agonizing; The Guardian's review called the show dour, obtuse, and oppressively slow, and Variety found its prevailing humorlessness wearisome[11](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/nov/17/1899-review-this-painfully-slow-sci-fi-show-is-absolutely-agonising) • [8](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/1899/critic-reviews/).\n\n## Cancellation\n\nNetflix released the series in mid-November 2022, just before the World Cup and before its own *[Wednesday](https://www.edgepedia.org/wednesday-tv-series)*; despite performing well globally, Netflix decided in early January 2023 not to renew it for a second season[4](https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/media/5902/mm84web_new.pdf). Friese and bo Odar had conceived 1899, like *Dark*, as a narrative across three seasons, with the first establishing theme, characters, and the big questions[4](https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/media/5902/mm84web_new.pdf). The series' status on streaming databases is listed as ended after one season[17](https://thetvdb.com/series/1899-show).\n\n## References\n\n1. [1899, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (SFE), updated 10 November 2023](https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/1899)\n2. [1899, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/1899-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmda5mzc5)\n3. [1899, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/80214497)\n4. [Media Education (Media Magazine 84), English and Media Centre](https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/media/5902/mm84web_new.pdf)\n5. [1899, Netflix review, The Arts Desk, 24 November 2022](https://theartsdesk.com/tv/1899-netflix-review-atlantic-voyage-turns-cosmic-nightmare)\n6. [Media Education (Media Magazine 84), English and Media Centre (second PDF)](https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/media/2464/mm84web_new.pdf)\n7. [Case Study / 1899: Plain Sailing for Summerer, British Cinematographer](https://britishcinematographer.co.uk/supplement_posts/1899-plain-sailing-for-summerer/)\n8. [1899 critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/1899/critic-reviews/)\n9. [1899: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/1899/s01)\n10. [1899 (Series), KÜRE Encyclopedia](https://kureansiklopedi.com/en/detay/1899-series-8e6b3)\n11. [1899 review, The Guardian, 17 November 2022](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/nov/17/1899-review-this-painfully-slow-sci-fi-show-is-absolutely-agonising)\n12. [A Response to Lovecraft: A Review of \"1899\", Online Library of Liberty, 1 March 2023](https://oll.libertyfund.org/publications/reading-room/2023-03-01-birzer-response-to-lovecraft-review-of-1899)\n13. [Dark Bay Virtual Production Studio announcement, 26 July 2021](https://www.dark-bay.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/DB_Announcement_210726.pdf)\n14. [Cinematic Images: The Digital Condition, Büchner Verlag (Miksch)](https://www.ssoar.info/ssoar/bitstream/handle/document/98526/ssoar-2024-Grabbe_et_al-Cinematic_Images_The_Digital_Condition.pdf?isAllowed=y&lnkname=ssoar-2024-Grabbe_et_al-Cinematic_Images_The_Digital_Condition.pdf&sequence=4)\n15. [Lynch, Andrew and Albarrán-Torres, César (2024). Netflix's high-end global telefantasy: Conspicuous and virtual localism, Critical Studies in Television](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/17496020241257808)\n16. [1899 review, Inverse, 11 November 2022](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/1899-review-netflix-dark)\n17. [1899, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/1899-show)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works) › Science fiction and fantasy films of the 2020s › Science fiction films of the 2020s › Titles symbols to L*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/1899-2022-film", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/1899-2022-film.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"1899 (2022 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/1899-2022-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[1899 (2022 film)](https://www.edgepedia.org/1899-2022-film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/1899-2022-film](https://www.edgepedia.org/1899-2022-film). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"1899 (2022 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/1899-2022-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "1899 is a German Netflix mystery sci-fi series by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, creators of Dark, following the migrant steamship Kerberos; eight episodes, €60m budget, cancelled January 2023." }